


Topsy Turvy

by ArcaneAnima



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Has a Crush on Marinette, Alternate Universe, But not in that sense, Everything is just one big swapped mess, F/M, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, Identity Swap, Ladybug Has a Crush on Chat Noir, Marinette is still Ladybug and Adrien is still Chat, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating for Language, Slight Spoilers in Tags, Slow Build, Slow Burn, eventual identity reveal, i can't tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-09-15 03:29:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 39,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9216629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcaneAnima/pseuds/ArcaneAnima
Summary: Adrien has a rooftop balcony and rarely brushes his hair.Marinette is on a strict diet and wants nothing more than to be behind the fashion scene instead of on the forefront.Ladybug is a lonely bug and kind of wants to tell Chat her identity.Chat Noir reads too many superhero comic books and knows that keeping their identities from each other ups their safety from Hawkmoth.Everything is just one big swapped mess.





	1. Chapter 1

"Rise and shine, Plagg! I don’t want to be late for class!" Adrien pulled on his signature striped shirt, messing up his wild blonde hair. Because it was fall, the sun had begun to rise a little later. Usually, this meant extra sluggishness in the mornings for students like him, so he tried to remedy it by, well, waking up earlier. The sky outside was still a washed-out pastel blue, the sun barely over the horizon.

“Kit, you’re up before the sun is. Could you please calm down,” begged the tiny lump in his sheets. Chuckling, Adrien lifted the blanket off of the little god and rubbed his head gently, eliciting a whine from the small, black, cat-like entity. “Rubs aren’t getting you anywhere… it’s just too early…”

“It’s never too early!”

“Why are my Chosens always morning people…? Why can’t I be lucky for once? I’ve been good; I’ve never asked for more than I needed; I…”

Adrien scoffed at that, how much of a glutton Plagg is coming to mind. Letting Plagg complain on his own, the blond moved to his mirror and inspected the mess on his head; he ruffled it to make it look like a more stylish mess, grinning at his success. “Showered nicely, clothes on, teeth brushed, hair mussed-- I think we’re ready to head out!”

“--and he lives like five minutes away from the school--!”

“Plagg, we still have to eat breakfast, and I don’t like having to rush on our walk there,” reasoned the blond, sighing at the Kwami’s theatrics. “You can sleep during class, anyway!”

"Seriously, leave me here to die, Adrien," groaned his Kwami from his bed, burrowing further into Adrien’s sheets. "It’s too early for this. How are you so chipper in the morning?" Plagg didn’t look like he was going to get up any time soon. Tired of trying to reason with him, Adrien tried a different approach. He knew just how to deal with Plagg.

"Pere made camembert rolls," Adrien bribed, "and I’ll give you extra if you hurry up.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” exclaimed Plagg, zipping straight into his charge’s jean pocket. Before Adrien could leave his room though, the kwami said, “you know, kid, denim isn’t exactly comfy against my fur. Can’t you put on an extra layer for me to hide in?”

“Alright, alright,” replied Adrien, slipping on a white blazer. Plagg made a sound of approval, floating behind the softer cloth. “Now can we go?”

“Only if you make good on those extra camembert rolls.”

“You got it. Let’s go.” Grabbing his school bag, Adrien pulled open his trapdoor and made his way down into the bakery below.

 

The rest of the morning had been relatively uneventful, if not routine. Adrien, with his lunch and a container of extra stinky cheese rolls packed snugly in his bag, took the scenic route to school. Due to the slight chill, he chose to don a coat and a thin scarf where Plagg could hide in so he could see and talk to his charge. The bright greens of the plants were slowly melting into golds and oranges as autumn loomed closer. He had enjoyed the cool breeze, pleased that even Plagg was choosing to be quiet as they treaded on towards his school. The only time the silence was broken was when he had passed the Agreste mansion. “Big for a small family, isn’t it?” Plagg mused, looking up at the looming building. “Aren’t there, like, four people in there?”

“No, there must be employees in there, too,” Adrien replied, raising a brow at the random topic. “Why’re you bringing it up?”

“Obviously because it’s way too big for four people,” responded Plagg, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“Hey, I’m just saying. You never say anything every other time we pass by this place.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Plagg said, bright green eyes staying on the aforementioned mansion even after Adrien had walked past it.

When they had arrived at Collège Françoise Dupont, Plagg was back under his blazer. Adrien had arrived which just enough time to leisurely go to his locker and be at least five minutes early to class. He wondered if Nino was going to be late again today.“Yo, dude!” Ah. Speaking of the devil. The blond turned to his best friend, sharing a half-hug.

“‘Sup, Nino? Glad to see you aren’t late today,” teased Adrien, shutting his locker as Nino opened his own. The bespectacled teen rolled his eyes, stuffing his own coat into his locker.

“Not so glad you still look like you’ve never seen a comb before. Seriously, dude, bed head isn’t a fashion trend.”

“Oh purr-lease,” sniggered the blond, “I look like sexy beast with a wild mane.” He struck a pose that could only be described as ridiculous, earning an exasperated sigh from the other male. Nino ignored his finger guns, deciding to walk off so they could start heading to class.

“Finger guns are my thing, my man, don’t wear them out.”

“Isn’t sharing caring?”

“Not when you’re making something cool look so lame.”

“You wound me. I thought we were best friends.”

“Did you use past tense?”

Before Adrien could reply, a commotion distracted the duo from in front of their classroom. Much to their surprise (not), their ever-so-yellow classmate was harassing yet another person. Chloe Bourgeois had her finger to a student’s chest, one he had never seen before. “Watch where you’re going, you filthy little rat. Don’t you know who I am? I will have my father on your ass the next time you cross paths with me.”

“She’s in a bad mood today,” said Nino from beside him. Adrien wondered when Chloe was ever in a good mood.

“C’mon. Let’s break it up before anyone gets akumatised.” The girl, however, looked far from upset or angry. Instead, she placed a hand on her hip, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at the blonde.

“As a matter of fact, I don’t know who you are. And for the record, you bumped into me. Get your facts straight, honey.”

“Whoa,” muttered Nino, “she’s fiery.”

“Come on, Monsieur Lahiffe.” Adrien marched over, Nino right next to him, and cut in before Chloe could retort. He stood, arms crossed, between Chloe and the girl, who looked a little surprised at the sudden intervention. “That’s enough, Chloe. Don’t you have anything better to do that pick on people and start fights?”

“Dupain,” Chloe spat, eyes narrowed. “Figures you’d jump in. Trying to bait another girl into your petty little fanclub?”

“He doesn’t need to bait anyone. My man gets ladies on sheer charm,” defended Nino with a grin and a pat on Adrien’s back, though Adrien knew he was gonna take that back later on in class, much to his amusement.

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing,” Adrien recited. “You, Chloe, are evil. We are the good people. We can’t let you get away with bullying anyone.” Unable to say anything in reply to his sudden spiel, Chloe turned tail and stomped into their classroom, muttering something along the lines of not having “time for these losers.” Grinning widely, Nino and Adrien shared a whoop and a high five.

“Majestia said that, didn’t she? You a superhero nerd?”

“Oh!” Adrien turned to the girl, forgetting that she was there for a second. “Y-Yeah! You could say that! Sorry about Chloe. She’s… kind of…”

“A bitch,” was Nino’s helpful input.

“...intolerable.”

“And in my class, judging from the fact that she just went into that room,” sighed the brunette, running a hand through the reddish ends of her hair. “Just my luck.”

“Hey, that’s our class, too!” Nino exclaimed. “You new?”

“Yeah, I am! Alya Cesaire,” she grinned, sticking both hands out for them to shake. “Today’s my first day here.”

“Nino Lahiffe, DJ extraordinare!”

“Adrien Dupain. That welcome was a bit… unorthodox, but I hope you’ll like it here.” Adrien shook her hand, smiling widely.

“Why don’t you sit with us? There’s two free seats in front of us,” said Nino, “but they’re at the front of the class, if you don’t mind.”

“And we can show you around later after school and fill you in on who’s who and whatnot,” added Adrien.

“Sweet, thanks,” grinned Alya, just as the warning bell rang. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO FRIENDS  
> I am 3178937189% garbage for this show and I wanted to write something for it as a way for me to cope with having to wait for season 2. About time, too! I'm always lurking on the Miraculous Ladybug tag.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> class shenanigans and obligatory intro to akuma scene

Adrien spent most of his classes sneakily exchanging notes with Nino and their new friend, Alya. He had to admit that he was impressed with her. Not only did she stand up to Chloe, but she was passing notes as professionally as him and Nino. It was honestly as if she had been friends with them forever, with the way they hit it off. Adrien suppressed an amused smile as he noticed Alya send Nino, who was seated behind her, a glance and a small grin. As Mme. Bustier turned around to scribble on the board, a small, folded piece of paper flew over her shoulder, landing perfectly on Nino’s tablet. He watched as Nino unfolded the small piece of paper and, after reading it, typed into his tablet with a discreet grin. With the stealth of a master spy, Nino slid the note towards Adrien. His green eyes skimmed the rounded writing, realizing that Alya had offered her contact information. Adrien, too, began to type on his tablet, sending Alya an email with his number and his other social media accounts. After pressing send, he noticed Alya’s shoulders shaking in suppressed snickers. Adrien pursed his lips, sending another email.

To: Foxy_Fine_Fierce@gmail.com

From: meowththat’sright@hotmail.com

Subject: You can’t judge me

i made this email back when i was obsessed with pokemon in elementary ok

besides your email isnt any better ;)

Adrien waited for a reply, but received none. Instead, he got a notification from each of his social networking sites, letting him know that Alya had added him in all of them. He also noticed he had a new message bubble on his tablet. Sending Nino and Alya a confused quirk of the brow, he tapped on it.

Adrien D: what

Nino L: wth is this

Nino L: alya this is ur 1st day here n ur already being a bad influence

Alya C: *you’re

Alya C: i just figured a group chat would be better than separate emails!

Nino L: w8 wat

Alya C: also has no one ever told adrien that winky faces are creepy

_Alya Cesaire sent an image._

Adrien pursed his lips, seeing a screenshot of his recently sent email.

Adrien D: Hey! Theyre friendly faces

Nino L: dude no

Nino L: shit i never knew u sent those

Nino L: u never send them 2 me

Nino L: no wonder uve been single 4evr

Adrien D: EXCUSE ME!!

“Is there something wrong, M. Dupain? You look like you’re in pain.”

“Oh!” Adrien yelped. His face contorted from irritation to surprise, hands waving frantically at their instructor. “No, I was just-- I felt an itch, Mme. Bustier.”

“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the infirmary, perhaps?” Mme. Bustier inquired, expression completely concerned. Adrien nodded an affirmative, ignoring the snorts from the two tanned teens on his left. “Well, alright.”

As soon as her attention was elsewhere, the blond sent them both a pointed look, to which they responded with an identical dismissive shrug. Sulking a little, Adrien decided to open a browser on his tablet instead of reply to the group chat. He checked his social networking apps, tapping on each notification. He found himself swiping through Alya’s social media, taking note of the copious amounts of news articles she reposted… most of which were about the new Parisian heroine and her partner. The blond felt a shit-eating grin coming on. She was a fan of Ladybug and Chat Noir, a big one from what he could see. He tapped on the group chat.

DJsickbeats: yea

DJsickbeats: its also coz hes a massive dork

DJsickbeats: he puns a lot

Alya C: Poor sunshine child :(

Adrien D: Alya! youre a Ladybug and Chat Noir fan?

Adrien D: wait what

Adrien D: were you two talking about me?

DJsickbeats: uhh

Alya C: Yeah I’m a huge fan! I was there when they brought that first akuma down!

Alya C: The way they fight so cohesively is amazing! And they look like great friends! Don’t you think they’re so cool?

Previous topic forgotten, Adrien grinned down at his tablet. Her slight sadism aside, Alya was pretty cool. He had no doubt they were gonna get along nicely.

 

 

“Not gonna lie, I probably woulda slept through the day if it weren’t for you two,” Nino stated, hands clasped behind his neck. He walked a few steps ahead of Adrien and Alya, bag slung loosely on his shoulder as he strolled on, crushing a few leaves underfoot. Adrien looked down at his own foot falls, the sound of crunching bringing him some weird satisfaction. He was gonna have to ask Plagg if that was some weird cat thing.

“So you are glad I started that group chat,” accused Alya teasingly.

“Hey, I didn’t say I didn’t appreciate your bad influence!” Nino paused, realizing that was a compliment once Alya’s grin grew, and added, “B-Besides, if you hadn’t come along, we probably wouldn't have paid attention anyway.” Adrien smirked, not missing the flush on Nino’s cheeks. He decided his friend deserved a break.

“I can’t sit still in any class besides Physics, so Nino and I would usually be playing a video game under the table,” the blond informed.

”You like Physics?”

Adrien could hear the incredulity in her voice. “Hey, I’ll have you know that I’m more than just a pretty face.”

“And we have arrived,” Nino interrupted, “ to the ever so entertaining park. What are we doing here again?”

“We’re hanging out?”

“Remind me why we didn’t go to the ice cream parlour instead?” Alya looked at Adrien inquisitively, halting in her steps. The boys stopped too. Adrien sent Nino a helpless look. He couldn’t help coming here; it was automatic! Nino and he always came here to chill, if not straight to his place.

“Hey, this was your idea,” said Nino with a grin.

“Wow, what a pal,” the blond deadpanned. “We’re here… to show you, Alya, the park? I mean, you’re new.”

“So you brought me…” Alya looked around at the mostly empty park, taking note of the only significant landmarks-- the fountain and the carousel. “...to this place… Why?”

“Like I said: ‘ever so entertaining’!”

“Nino, shut up.”

“Hey, there’s a carousel, at least! Maybe we can ride it. Alya, have you ever been on one?”

“As a matter of fact, I have.”

“Seriously, Nino,” sulked Adrien.

“No, really!” Nino laughed, “plus, look there! There’s some kind of photoshoot going on. This is a hotspot for celebrities.”

“...Really?” Both Alya and Adrien turned to look, just noticing the group of people near the fountain. There were people carrying large reflectors next to a bright light, and people who looked like they were on standby for any other service needed. The seemingly pleased photographer looked like he was crooning out compliments, taking picture after picture. Adrien’s emerald eyes turned to the subject of the photographs, and he honestly thought he physically felt his breath leave his body. The model was a petite girl wearing a casual pink blazer over a dark, floral print dress that ended just below her knees and giving her a look of breezy elegance. She posed on the fountain ledge, feet bare, like a faerie. Her inky locks were done up in a messy bun, though from each perfectly coiled black curl, he could tell each lock was placed meticulously on her head. However, it was those eyes… those blue, blue eyes. He could see how beautiful they were from his distance, how tantalizingly deep, how…

“Ow!” Adrien hissed, pulled from his dream by a sharp pink on his waist. He almost snarled. _Plagg_!

“Earth to Adrien Dupain, do you copy?”

“I-- what? Er, yeah!” He rubbed his waist, smiling awkwardly at the two. “I totally agree with whatever it is you said.” Alya and Nino exchanged looks. Alya was the first to recover, smiling mischievously at Adrien.

“Oh? Does our son have a little celebrity crush?”

“Your what?”

“Dude, you were ogling her from like thirty feet away. Try to be more discreet.”

“I was not!” Adrien averted his gaze. “I was… thinking that she must be overworked!”

“Go talk to her,” urged Alya, grinning maliciously. Adrien prided himself to be brave-- hell, he kicked evil butt whenever Paris needed him to. But, Adrien was finding out, looking into Alya’s scheming amber eyes was like looking at fear itself. The grin on her lips widened, and he wondered if she could read thoughts too. “Go on, she looks like she’s about to go on a break!”

“She is?” He turned, but jumped when he felt another sharp pinch. “Ow!” _Plagg, Mon Dieu, I swear---_

“I AM PROJECTOR, HARBINGER OF DISAPPOINTMENT AND F’S AND RUINED FUTURES, AND I CALL UPON LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR TO SURRENDER THEIR MIRACULOUS TO ME…!”

“Oh man, run!” Nino grabbed Alya’s wrist, running the opposite direction of the coming Akuma. “Adrien, man, c’mon!” People in panic were running towards the same exit they were at, blocking them from his view. Adrien called after them.

“Keep going, I’m right behind you!” He lied. He turned to the photoshoot and noticed that all of the people were gone, equipment left forgotten in a pile. Looking every bit unimpressed, his kwami floated out of his coat.

“About time, Adrien. With your hearing, you should have heard the screams from far away.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Plagg, I was preoccupied. It won’t happen again.”

“You think you can throw in some cheese rolls instead of that flimsy apology?” Adrien rolled his eyes.

“Maybe later, but for now,” he grinned, lifting his ringed finger, “Plagg, _Claws Out_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PART 2 OF 3 OF WHAT I MEANT TO BE CHAPTER 1 WTF WHY IS THIS SO LONG (tbh I just can't set proper boundaries for myself)  
> OHO was that Mari?  
> Don't judge me ok I had the akuma idea during what could have been an akumatising moment for me... I hate group projects
> 
> Also, I'm new to writing longer (YES THIS IS LONG TO ME) chapters so please leave a comment to let me know what you think?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A not-so-well-thought-out akuma scene and a chapter that played out better in my head. Here's the product of a huge writer's block

The familiar rush of adrenaline filled Adrien’s veins as the magical green light enveloped him, transforming his civilian clothing to his surprisingly comfortable leather supersuit. He reached for his baton, narrowed feline eyes pinpointing the location of the akuma a few blocks away. Thinking it wise not to jump in without a plan, Chat pulled out his baton and moved to speed dial his partner. “Chat!” Chat Noir turned as he heard the familiar voice, lips curling into a lopsided smirk. Ah, purr-fectly on time yet again. Ladybug dropped next to him, ever the graceful bug, her pigtails bouncing upon landing and her yoyo zipping back into her hand. “You’re… already here?”

“I was fur-tunately nearby, my Lady,” he replied, taking her spandex-clad hand smoothly and planting a kiss. His sensitive hearing picked up her almost inaudible squeak as her hand withdrew, making his smirk curl even more deviously. She was just so cute. “I was just about to call mew.”

“A-Alright, well, I’m here!”

“I can see that, Bugaboo.” Chat enjoyed the way she pursed her lips indignantly, her ears burning red for a moment, before she threw out her yo-yo and pulled herself up and away from him. With a laugh, the blond followed after the heroine, propelling himself after her with his baton. After a few minutes of running over rooftops and jumping across buildings, Chat halted beside Ladybug, whose bright eyes were scanning the scene. Civilian cries and wails of anguish echoed throughout the area; people were on their knees in the streets, hanging out of their vehicles, crying about failure. It might have looked like chaos, but no one was running. Chat’s brows furrowed, wondering if his friends got to safety.

“Where’s the akuma?” Ladybug muttered under her breath. Chat’s cat ear suddenly twitched, turning a little at a weird, metallic sound. Without further delay, he leapt, bringing his partner down and out of the way of a spray of bullets. “Oof!” Ladybug grunted.

“Sorry, my Lady, I couldn’t let my partner get hit,” he said, quickly pulling her up.

“Thanks, Chaton.” Her eyes filled with resolve as she faced the akuma called Projector. He looked like he was around university-age, lightning-filled gray eyes glazed over under his black mask. His transformation was that of a business man, suit and tie all in monochromatic colors. His weapon, however, was a rather intimidating minigun, which looked like it was loaded with bullets-- bullets marked with a glaringly red F. He floated above them, hazy gray smoke coming out from behind him. Ladybug stepped back, yo-yo about to fly when--

“Partner? HA! I had a few of those… for a group project, worth over half my overall grade. All they had to do was pull their own weight, and we would be done with it, we would have been done with that class. But they didn’t. I did the bulk of the work because no one else wanted to. And you know what’s worse?”

Ladybug looked at Chat inquisitively, poised arm faltering, and Chat Noir gave Ladybug a shrug of his own. Of course, super villains loved their dramatic speeches, and they’ve had their fair share of melodramatic soliloquies. Chat gave Ladybug a wink, thinking that he would humor Projector to give her time to do what she did best-- strategize. “What’s worse?” he asked.

“They told the professor I did the least amount of work, for shits and giggles. My future… ruined… FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES!”

“That’s paw-ful!” Chat gasped, placing a gloved hand over his chest.

“It might be the pen in his pocket, on his chest,” Ladybug whispered, trusting that his sensitive hearing would pick it up. “He fights ranged, so if one of us could get close…”

Projector snarled, stomping in midair.“I know, it is! Now… EVERYONE IN PARIS SHALL FEEL WHAT I FELT. Once I have your Miraculous, EVERYONE SHALL FAIL, AND THE WHOLE CITY WILL FALL WITH ME.”

“Chat Noir, distract him!” Ladybug cried in a loud voice, much too loud to be discreet. He searched her eyes for a split second, lips quirking up as she gave a subtle nod before darting away. _What a smart bug._ As she probably assumed, Projector’s eyes followed the streak of red, and so did the gun barrels of his massive minigun. Trusting his partner was more than capable to handle the akuma’s attention by herself, Chat ducked and rushed towards the villain from behind, hoping to leap onto his back and snatch the pen from there. From the corner of his eye, he can see his Lady maneuvering gracefully out of the bullets’ path, deflecting any stray bullet that got too close with her trusty yoyo. He ignored the concern boiling in his gut, realizing that the bullets Projector was using was different and were very real-- _lethal_. The bullets were shooting holes into brick, embedding themselves into concrete; how easily they would pierce flesh… The blond shook it off, skidding behind Projector and leaning back, ready to pounce. A glow of pink gleamed from Projector’s face, radiating from the outline of a butterfly on his stormy eyes. Chat knew from experience that Hawkmoth was speaking to his villain pawn, most likely having figured out his and Ladybug’s unspoken plan. He leapt, because it was now or never..!

“I know, I’m not stupid!” Projector snarled at Hawkmoth, letting his minigun continue its spray as he ducked, Chat flying over him and tumbling onto his face.

The blond yelped. “Ouch!” He felt a weight fall onto his back, then another, then another. “Oof-- what the?!” Turning as much as he could, he found three middle aged women on him, crying into his leather-clad back as if he was their bed.

“Chat Noir!” cried Ladybug.

“It’s alright, M’lady!” He called, trying fruitlessly to wriggle out from under the depressed civilians that have piled themselves onto him. “Ladies, please! This handsome tom cat already belongs to Paris’ beloved heroine.” He attempted to push them off, faltering when he looked up to find the barrel of Projector’s gun directed on his helpless form.

“See,” snarled Projector, eyes directed at the heroine in red. “Your partner has let you down. Your partner is the reason you have failed. You can’t rely on others, Ladybug. Now, give me your Miraculous,” he readjusted his minigun, emphasizing that the threat was real, “and learn your lesson.”

Chat’s eyes zeroed in on Ladybug’s wide blue hues, narrowing. Her lip trembled, and he could see his sweet Bug’s insecurities were beginning to arise. He sent her a grin, though he knew she could tell it was forced. _Don’t buy into it,_ his eyes screamed, _trust me, I’ll get out of this._

“I know all about your little super move, Ladybug. Hand over your earrings. If you even open your mouth...” Projector shot his gun, shooting a hole a few inches from Chat’s head. The super hero flinched beneath him, eyes scathing. “It’s bye bye, kitty.”

“Call it, Ladybug, you’ve got nothing to worry about; I’ve got nine lives.”

“And I’ve got more than nine bullets to shoot into you.”

“I’d be worried if only your aim wasn’t so clawful,” Chat bantered, really pushing his luck. How ironic.

“Are you asking to die?” hissed Projector.

“Not purr-ferably anytime soon, thank you very much. But you realize killing someone will further taint your educational records?” Projector faltered, and Chat Noir kept doing what he did best--being the distraction. “No university will accept you after this! What will you do when you get our Miraculous; how will that make you a living?”

“I--” Chat grinned, seeing Ladybug throw her yoyo up behind him. Hawkmoth must be throwing a fit right now.

“LUCKY CHARM!”

“What--!”

With a burst of renewed strength, Chat heaved himself up forcefully and sent the three ladies on him rolling off of his back as Ladybug’s lucky item fell into her hands. Just as Projector lifted back his minigun, Ladybug’s yoyo spun around it’s nozzle, directing it away from potentially harming anyone nearby. “Chat!”

“Got it!” Baton extending, he swung at the villain’s hands, forcing him to drop the heavy weapon with a grunt of pain. As Ladybug twisted to pull the gun away, she swung her other arm out, her lucky item extending out and curling around the pen in Projector’s pocket. With a flick, the pen flew towards her outstretched hand.

“No!” Projector cried, reaching in vain towards the pen as Ladybug broke it over her knee.

“Time to de-evilize!” Ladybug yelled, swinging her yoyo to catch the black butterfly attempting to fly away. With a flash of light, the akuma was purified and Ladybug let it go free. She smiled, watching it flutter away. “Bye bye, little butterfly.”

“Great job, My Lady,” said Chat, walking up to the heroine with a warm smile. He offered his fist, and she bumped it with a smile. “You saved the day again.”

“ _We_ saved the day, Chaton,” she corrected.

“You certainly saved me.”

She laughed softly, blue eyes twinkling beneath her red mask. Chat Noir felt his stomach flutter. She was certainly a beauty. “Don’t you scare me like that again, Chat Noir.” She threw the whip up into the sky, and it burst into a sea of glowing magic. “Miraculous Ladybug!!”

Chat watched, never tiring of the sight, and whispered under his breath. “No promises.”

 

Adrien pulled out his phone, speed walking back into the park to try to find his two friends. He tapped his messages open, looking through the frantic texts with slight guilt.

Djsickbeats: dude were hiding out in the alleyway bside the ice crean parlour

Alya C.: we’ve got a pretty good view of the fight from here

Djsickbeats: where tf r u?? akumas bullets r real!

Djsickbeats: bro not cool

Djsickbeats: ADRIEN

Alya C.: CHAT NOIR GOT PINNED DOWN!

_Alya C. sent a video_

Alya C.: Adrien Nino is high key worried sick where tf are you

He expected the video to be of Ladybug and Chat Noir battling the akuma, but instead, Alya had sent a video of his best friend “high key” freaking out.

“Adrien!”

“Adrien, where the hell were you?!” The blond flinched as the duo came rushing towards him, watching Nino’s fist fearfully. As soon as he was close enough, Nino hit him upside the head.

“Ow, ow, Nino, please--”

“Dude you coulda been shot! Your dad would have my head displayed next to the cakes!”

“Adrien, where did you end up?” Alya intervened, eyebrows furrowed. Concern was written all over her face, and he couldn’t help but feel touched that she had also worried about his well-being. Adrien rubbed his sore head, smiling sheepishly.

“I uh, I got swept up by the crowd and ended up on the opposite side of the ice cream parlour. I could see the whole thing from there too. I was so distracted, I’m sorry I didn’t reply back.”

“Seriously, how do you always disappear like that whenever there’s an akuma attack,” grumbled Nino, sulking under the shadow of his baseball cap. “C’mon, you owe me some chocolate croissants.” The tanned boy turned around, heading straight towards the Dupain Patissiere. Adrien sighed, walking after him as he cut through the park, past the group of assistants and a photographer as they packed up the messy photoshoot equipment.

“That model could use some croissants, too,” mumbled Alya, her eyes directed at the site of the shoot, where the model sat by the fountain, talking quietly to her secretary. “She’s way too thin… I hope she isn’t starving herself.”

Adrien remembered the beautiful girl he had been ogling at earlier that day, and he followed Alya’s gaze, surprised to find that her clear blue eyes had found his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted the overall akuma fight to have felt more ominous, but I feel like I failed in that portrayal. I wasn't sure how to express it.
> 
> also was that a hint of foreshadowing angst or was that a hint of foreshadowing angst


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari wants friends and food thats all she wants in life tbh

Ladybug leapt down into the park, transforming back into her civilian self as she zipped past a thick tree. She landed in a crouch and winced, bare feet against sharp rock and rough twigs. Marinette stayed low, trying to brush the little pebbles and pieces of dirt and leaves stuck to the bottom of her naked soles. Thankfully, she hadn’t been cut, but she was sure to be reprimanded for running off without grabbing appropriate footwear. Hopefully Natalie will be a little more forgiving because of the akuma attack, though she was sure to hear: “you know better than that, Marinette.”

”Oh, Marinette, your feet!” Tikki, despite her obvious exhaustion, flitted down to inspect her abrasions, worry thick in her voice. Marinette scooped the little Kwami gently from the air, bringing her close to her pink blazer.

”I’m okay, Tikki. You should rest.” Marinette said gently, “the faster we get through this shoot, the faster you can recharge. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you anything.”

"It’s okay, Marinette. I know they can be quite strict on you with snacks,” Tikki replied as Marinette stood, striding as smoothly as she could towards the photoshoot site, where the employees have begun to congregate once more. Tikki sank behind her blazer, nestling herself comfortably into an inner pocket. “But please grab shoes next time. You’re lucky you didn’t get cut.”

Marinette laughed quietly. “Okay. I’ll make sure of that so I avoid worrying you next time.” Tikki did not reply, and she knew well that the little god had begun to slumber. Marinette walked into the crowd gingerly, careful to avoid people who were trying to fix the equipment that had fallen and had been kicked around during the panic. She weaved past the crowd and towards a familiar bespectacled woman, who was holding her tablet tightly as she tap-tap-tapped away, lips slightly and almost unnoticeably pursed. “Natalie,” Marinette began, “I’m glad you’re alright.”

”Marinette, sit,” Natalie replied, gesturing towards the edge of the fountain. She obeyed, sinking onto the concrete in slight confusion. The woman put her tablet down next to her and knelt, much to Marinette’s surprise. “Where were you? Did you get hurt?” Despite her concerned inquiries, Natalie’s sharp eyes inspected her feet, and her tone was as neutral and unfeeling as ever. “Why didn’t you grab footwear before dashing off?”

”Well, I was thinking that perhaps my life mattered more than my feet at that very moment?” Marinette replied with a nervous smile. Natalie’s icy blue eyes snapped up to her face for a split second, before they returned to their inspection of her scratches. Marinette started, realizing what she had said may have sounded rather rude. “Oh! Natalie, I didn’t mean--”

”I’m aware, Marinette.” The secretary cut her off, standing up, straightening her dark gray pencil skirt, and picking her tablet back up. “The akuma attack has overtaken a considerable part of your schedule today, so we have moved everything to a later date.”

Hope began to bubble in Marinette’s gut, feeling like butterflies fluttering against her stomach. ”You mean I’m… free for the rest of the day?” Marinette asked. Natalie looked at her for a long moment, before turning to walk away.

”You have tutoring at home after this. Please wait here for us to retrieve you.” She continued, even as Marinette quite visibly deflated. “I must take care of some things. Wait here. And sit up straight.”

”Yes, Natalie,” the teen muttered, though Natalie probably did not hear her. Marinette sighed, straightening up. Her eyes remained downcast, on the beautifully painted flowers on her dress skirt.

”Cheer up, Marinette,” came a sleepy whisper from under her blazer. “I know you’d much rather explore Paris on your own as a civilian, but it’s also good that you’ll be getting rest after a tiring photoshoot and a stressful akuma fight.”

”I know you’re right, Tikki,” she mumbled, “I know it in my heart that you’re right, but I can’t help but feel so… so down-hearted. Can we go out later tonight? For a breath of fresh, night air?” Marinette asked, knowing Tikki would not say no, but she would not straight up say yes either. She felt the little Kwami climb up and poke her head out a little, felt Tikki nuzzle against her affectionately.

”If you need it, Marinette, then it’s okay with me. But please don’t look so sad.” Marinette felt her heart melt a little at her Kwami’s kindness. “If you keep looking down, you’ll miss the beauties and the opportunities of happiness in the world. So look up, little Bug.”

”Thank you, Tikki,” said Marinette softly, smiling a little as she felt the Kwami slide back down into her pocket. Marinette felt the sadness in her ebb away, at least temporarily, and thought that perhaps she should try to take Tikki’s advice and be a little more positive. She raised her eyes, and from afar, they met with beautiful emerald green.

She inhaled sharply, gasped really; she felt sparks fly between their interconnected gaze. He looked away, diving back into conversation with the two other teenagers with him-- a beautiful, curvy girl with fiery locks and a handsome tanned boy occupied by some hand held device. Marinette could not help but look the blond over, admiring his careless good looks. His hair was a mess, but it did not look bad; rather, it looked spiked intentionally, framing his chiseled face nicely. He reminded her so much of _him_. The trio walked on, towards a Patissiere at the corner of the street, and Marinette was suddenly keenly aware of the gurgling in her stomach. “Urgh,” she muttered, hand over her abdomen. “That’s definitely not the sound of butterflies.”

 

”I thought I was going to die,” Marinette groaned as she trudged into her room, putting her bag carelessly on the floor and falling limp onto her bed. Tikki, having been fed, flitted out of Marinette’s pocket and shut the door behind her charge.

”You’re over-exaggerating,” she stated.

”Alright, I thought I was going to pass out,” the teen corrected, voice muffled considerably by her sheets. Tikki giggled, floating over to the blackette and landing beside her head.

”Okay, it _was_ really boring. I’ve never really understood the need for that kind of math.”

”I’m not even going to need it, if father’s plan for my life goes through and I take over the company. I’ll just need basic maths, not… all that.” Marinette groaned again, rolling onto her back and staring at the far end of her room where her art supplies were. Her canvases were lined up nicely against her wall, her recent painting drying on the easel next to her supply organizer. Her blue eyes slid to the drying painting, one she had made in the dead of last night and finished in the afternoon, just before her photoshoot. The painted green eyes looked like they were glowing as they stared back at her, and Marinette sighed.

”It’s alright to admit it, you know,” Tikki’s voice tinkled as the god flew up off her bed and towards the floor-to-ceiling bookcase at the other end of Marinette’s room. Tikki flew near the middle and into the little gap between a couple of how-to art books, nestling on a little makeshift bed Marinette had placed there for the Kwami.

”Admit what?” asked the blackette, raises an eyebrow at Tikki, who stuck her little head out from the gap and smiled toothily at her charge.

”To admit that you’re in love with Chat Noir.”

Marinette nearly choked on her own spit. “In love-- Whath who huh???”

”It’s happened countless times before; my little Bugs falling for their counterparts, or their counterparts falling in love with them,” sighed Tikki dreamily, unfazed by Marinette’s hacking coughs. “It is the work of fate. You were Chosen because you two work together. Like..”

”Don’t say soul mates,” Marinette interrupted, having recovered from her surprise. “And I.. I don’t-- I’m not in love with Chat Noir, Tikki.”

”Your paintings and poems and designs show otherwise,” teased the red god. Marinette sputtered.

”No! I-- I…I admire him. I admire… what he represents.” Marinette got up, making her way towards the canvases leaning on her pale pink wall. She touched them gently, reading the dates on the sides one by one, before pulling out one that was covered in black-blue ink. The painting was Chat Noir still, but less close-up. It was a picture of Chat from her civilian eyes, leaping jubilantly across rooftops and whooping in glee. That night Marinette saw Chat from her car window, he was painted by the glow of the moon, a joyful grin on his face that shone brighter to her than any star. She was vaguely aware of the Kwami’s large wise eyes trained on her from the other end of the room, still eager to hear her continue. “Tikki, Chat Noir… he’s the freest soul I’ve ever met, more than any fish in any ocean, than any bird in the most endless sky.” She touched the painting fondly, eyes softening as the memory flashed vividly in her mind. “He’s confident, and unafraid, and headstrong, and determined, and selfless,and amazing… and everything I wish I could be.” Her voice dropped down in volume, becoming softer than any whisper. “Everything I can never be.”

Tikki wriggled out of her tiny bed, flying quickly from the bookcase to Marinette in a blink. “Marinette,” she began, “isn’t Ladybug all of those things, and more?”

”Well, yes,” was Marinette’s immediate reply. She put the painting back in its place, patting Tikki gently on the head with her finger, eyes downcast. “But that’s exactly it, Tikki. _Ladybug_ is all that, but Marinette isn’t.” She ambled over to her stairs, ascending the steps to go to her little studio.

”You’re missing my point completely, little Bug. You _are_ Ladybug. You _are_ confident, unafraid, headstrong, determined, selfless, amazing, and more.” Marinette remained silent for a moment, her blue eyes scanning the organized rolls of fabric lined in her cabinets. Tikki, knowing her well, knew she was listening, so she continued. “You fail to realize that you and Chat Noir are two sides of the same coin. You are each other’s other half, Marinette. And that means that whatever good you see in him, is also the good in you.”

”Ladybug can outsmart and out-brawn super villains,” Marinette said as she sat in front of her sewing machine, leaning her head on her palm as she watched Tikki float up from the first floor to up where she was. “Marinette can’t even muster up the courage to ask her Father to be allowed to attend school as a birthday present.”

”Your father won’t bite harder than any of the akumatised villains you’ve fought before. Perhaps you simply need to believe in yourself more,” offered her Kwami. Tikki gave her a little kiss on the forehead, and Marinette felt her anxiety melt away ever so slightly. “You’ve had a tiring day, Marinette. You should rest, or take that breather. Tomorrow, you can ask your father for that birthday present.”

”Do you think Chat’s still up?” Marinette wondered out loud, eyelids drooping forlornly.

Tikki sighed knowingly, smiling a little at her stubborn Bug. She knew Marinette took her pep talk to heart, but she realized that no one could cheer Marinette up as fast as Chat Noir could. Tikki resigned, smiling fondly at her Chosen. “Only one way to find out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I love reading comments because it really solidifies... you guys... is that the right word? Like it makes me realize that people are actually reading this... and it's surreal! So if please leave a comment if it's not too much trouble!
> 
> I wrote this within a day and I'm shook because I usually take 5 years (...more like a week or two to write one chapter)
> 
> I WILL be switching between Mari and Adrien's perspectives here and there, and I read somewhere that that's a fan-fic no-no, but uh //rebel


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LadyNoir fluff and our baby Mari evolving with the help of MamaTikki and Chat Noir

Ladybug flew over the eaves of Paris’ buildings, wide blue eyes sparkling as she leapt through the night. In the distance, the busy streets of Paris echoed with the rumble of engines and the occasional laughter from the more popular tourist-filled areas. Aside from the warm glow the city, Ladybug was mostly painted in dark shadows, concealed from civilian eyes. As discreetly as she could, she zipped onwards towards the towering silhouette of Notre Dame and climbed up towards the highest tower. In her Ladybug guise, she could run wherever she wanted to, could fly through the air like a bird uncaged. In her Ladybug guise, she could climb the the highest points of the city and stay there all night, with nothing but the distant city noises and twinkling stars as company. And, due to the suits’ integrated GPS systems, the occasional stray cat kept her company as well. Ladybug settled herself on the easels of the tower, resting her arms on her knees, eyes admiring the Parisian horizon. Ladybug sighed, her long day melting away with the wind. She could never get tired of this.

”Ah, I knew there was a good reason I had the urge to explore Paris tonight,” sang a familiar voice. Had it been anyone else, perhaps Ladybug would have minded the intrusion of her peace. She simply hummed in response, continuing to admire the skyline as she felt a gentle warmth settle itself beside her.

”Good evening, Chat Noir,” she greeted, finally tearing her gaze away from the city she loved to give her partner a welcoming smile. “And if by “good reason” you mean a red dot on your GPS, then yes, perhaps.”

”You wound me, My Lady. I truly did feel a disturbance in the air,” the blond replied with a dramatic sigh. “You underestimate your magnetic pull on me.”

Ladybug couldn’t help but roll her eyes, if not to cover up the slight warming in her cheeks. Honestly, she had never met anyone so open with their words. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Chat was the same as a civilian-- a flirt with a flare for the theatrics. She kind of hoped she was the only girl he talked to like this, and mentally slapped herself, Tikki’s previous teasing echoing in her mind. _I am not in love with Chat Noir. I admire him. I do not love him like that._

“Though… It’s pretty late. What’s eating you, Bugaboo?”

Ah… there it is… his insane kindness. Her gaze softened as he stared into his, memorizing the warmth in them, before she pulled herself away to look up into the endless night sky. “Oh, civilian things, Chaton. I know you prefer not to talk about such things, since it may endanger our family.” She paused, and quickly added, “and friends, of course.” _Way to go, Marinette Agreste. Real smooth, Marinette Agreste. Why don’t you clue him in that you’re a friendless hermit, Marinette Agreste._

”As long as you leave out anything that will give you away, then I don’t see why you can’t fire away,” her partner said reassuringly, placing his leather-clad hand on her shoulder. He smiled sheepishly. “I have probably been a little too strict on you with that stuff… But more than your partner, I’m your friend. You should be purr-fectly able to talk to me.”

”Chat…”

”Besides, you haven’t been yourself lately, you know?” The blonde booped her nose, chuckling a little. Ladybug started, leaning away a little and staring at him owlishly.

”You could tell?” she asked incredulously.

”Of course I could tell. And I had a feeling. I’m not sure if it’s because of the Miraculous, but I felt it, too,” Chat Noir tried to explain. And suddenly, all seriousness aside, her partner gave her a wink with a matching flick of his “tail.” “Meow, tell Chat Noir about what’s bothering mew. Share your burdens with me.”

Ladybug stayed silent, even as Chat begun to shoot his finger guns. She tried to gather her thoughts and gather her words, careful to filter them so he would not be able to connect them to her identity. She knew he was smart, so it took her a few minutes to be certain she had been meticulous about getting the feeling through with as few words as possible. “I’ve just had a stretch of long days. Chaton. Each day has been more tedious than the one before… And the thing is, I have no say in it.” She paused once more. Though Chat was so easy to talk to, it was different when it was her civilian life they were discussing. She had to stop, to gather her thoughts over and over. Her brow furrowed as she tried to find a way not to mention her schedules. “My life… is in someone else’s hands. But I don’t want it to be…” From her peripheral, she saw Chat’s brow furrow as well. “But I have no courage to take back what’s mine.”

”But you’re Ladybug,” Chat said, a little too quickly. He looked conflicted, as if he had spoken to quickly and regretted it. Ladybug shook her head.

”Not when I am my civilian self. When the magic ends, all that’s left is a scared girl who cowers behind authority and takes order with a mute nod.”

”But you boss me around.”

”I do not boss you around, Chaton.”

I’m kitten you, I swear,” he laughed, waving his hands in front of him in surrender. Ladybug softened her glare, letting silence permeate the air. Chat looked like he was pondering a math equation. After a moment, he continued. “So you aren’t satisfied with your civilian life right now because someone else has control over it, but you’re… you aren’t doing anything about it, and you’re mad at yourself.”

Ladybug nodded, unsurprised that he had understood so well, despite how vague she had been. “That’s exactly it, Chaton. You really are a great listener.”

”Only for you, my Lady,” he said with a waggle of his brows. “And forgive me for sidetracking a little, but you sound like one of those elite, sheltered girls who are homeschooled.” He laughed, and Ladybug joined him, though forcibly. If only he knew how accurate his words rang.

”Haha, right... “

”But you know what… You’re Ladybug.”

She blinked at him, displeasure creeping into her voice. “You said that already. Chat, that isn’t the issue and isn’t helping.” She was beginning to worry, in the furthest depths of her mind, that even Chat would not understand. “People only believe in me as Ladybug. They place me on a pedestal, accept me, and I can do no wrong. But the girl behind this mask…”

”Nonono,” Chat interrupted, waving his hands again, frantically, as if trying to wave away the dark thoughts beginning to cloud her mind. “No, when I say you’re Ladybug, I’m not talking to you as Ladybug. I’m talking to the girl behind the mask.”

”What?” she asked.

”Whoever you are behind that spotted mask, YOU are Ladybug. Totally. Completely. You’re every bit capable of making a change as your civilian self, if you only believed in yourself a fraction of how much Paris believes in you-- how much I believe in you.”

_He’s unreal,_ she found herself thinking. _He’s unreal and amazing and too good and I don’t deserve him._ Ladybug felt her heart melting, and she found that perhaps Tikki was not sprouting pure utter nonsense. Was it her Ladybug luck that brought her Tikki and Chat Noir, the two lights in her endless darkness? Chat’s voice rang ever so clear, and so warm, and as sweet as honey to her ears.

”All you need, when that mask comes off, is a bit of confidence.”

”How can you believe in me so much,” she said without thinking, “when I falter during akuma fights, when I hesitate, when I run, when I can’t even ask my father for a birthday gift…” Chat Noir blanched, whipping his face around to look at her.

“It’s your birthday, LB?!”

”What? Oh! I’m so sorry, Chat, I didn’t think. Was that too revealing?” _Great job, Marinette Agreste. Real smooth, Marinette Agreste. Why don’t you give him your address while you’re at it, Marinette Agreste._

”No, not at all! Is today your birthday?” Chat inquired, his twinkling emerald eyes looking pure and a little too close to her face for Ladybug’s heart to handle.

”No, but it is within the week,” she replied uncertainly, leaning back a little.

”Alright, you wait here,” he said, standing up. Before Ladybug could open her mouth to ask or to protest, he leapt off of Notre Dame and shot off into the shadows, disappearing in a few seconds. Ladybug stayed frozen, mouth half-open, and stared at the direction the hero ran off to.

”Well, that went well,” she muttered to herself. “I opened up a bit too much. I hope I didn’t scare him away.” Without his warmth next to her, she was beginning to feel a slight chill in the air. Ladybug pulled her knees close, hugging them, and thought about the conversation she just had with her partner. It was strange, how fuzzy she felt when he addressed the girl behind the mask, when he spoke to her as Marinette. He believed in her; he said so, regardless of whether she was donning red or not. She knew Chat wouldn’t be pleased, but her desire to get to know him grew considerably in her heart to the point that it was beginning to suffocate her. She wondered who it was behind that mask; she wanted to be friends with the boy she associated with warmth, with freedom. “I don’t know if you can hear me, Tikki,” she whispered, “but I think you and Chat would get along so well. You both have such a way with words.”

”We’re not bypassing my Lady’s special day if I can help it!”

Ladybug yelped, jumping. “What the--”

”I couldn’t grab much, but here’s the finest little treats from the famous Dupain Patissiere!” Chat Noir seemingly materialized right out of the shadows-- curse his dark suit-- and plopped right back down beside her, a box of pastries on his lap. Ladybug’s eyes scanned the contents as he opened it for her eyes to see, and she swore she was beginning to salivate.

”Chat, I… I really shouldn’t. I’m on a strict diet--”

”Is it health related” he deadpanned.

”What? No, but I--”

”Then I insist, Bugaboo,” he grinned, placing the box on her lap. Her stomach grumbled, and she knew he had heard with the way one of his leather cat ears twitched. Curses, her stomach was deserting her…! “I never understood girls and diets, but you look perfectly fit to me. Besides,” Chat said, thankfully choosing to ignore her stomach’s pleas for help, “there’s nothing like a sweet tart and some paw-some company to pick you up after a long day or two. Think of it as a small birthday gift from me.”

”Well… maybe just a nibble,” she muttered, more to herself than to her companion. She picked up a cream puff gingerly and bit into it. Frankly, she could have seen God flying towards her in a golden chariot with the way her expression morphed into pleasant surprise. “Whoa, this is amazing! Where did you say these are from?”

”The Dupain Patissiere, not too far from here,” Chat responded with a grin she found to be a little too smug. “You likey?” he asked. “They’re the best in the city!”

”Yes I do; this is actually so good…!” She devoured the rest of the cream puff, and the next few minutes was mostly silent, mostly because she inhaled the rest of the pastries… remembering her manners and offering Chat some too, of course. After the last tart had been consumed, Ladybug sighed in satisfaction. “There goes my strict diet,” she said, with no regret. “You’re a terrible influence, mon Chaton.”

”But an amazing fur-end, don’t you think?” His grin was contagious. She shoved his arm playfully.

”Oh, you’re so full of yourself, Chat Noir.”

”But you love me anyways, don’t you, Bugaboo?” It wasn’t really a question, from the sound of it. He was well aware of how fond of him she was. She laughed, deciding not to reply, and let her head lean on his sturdy shoulder. Chat leaned back, comfortable despite the closeness.

”Thank you, Chaton,” she mumbled, “I needed this.”

”Anytime, my Lady.”

 

 

Half of her trip back to her place felt like a dream, Chat’s reassuring words and light-hearted jokes ringing clear in her ears and in her heart. She felt confident as she leapt high above the city, ready to take on her civilian fears as soon as she returned to the Agreste mansion. Then she got to the midpoint of her trip back, and her anxiety decided it had left her far too long. She began to wonder if she could really ask her father for permission to attend school, to mingle with regular kids her age, to live a normal life. What would he say? Would he even consider it? Would he even say anything at all?

_Get it together, Marinette Agreste. Chat Noir believes in you, and Tikki said you were chosen for a reason. Father won’t bite._ Ladybug slipped in through her window, her transformation falling off of her in a flash of beautiful pink light. Out of habit, she cupped her hands and let Tikki float gently onto them. “Hey, Tikki… Thank you for letting me go out tonight.”

”Of course, Marinette,” the Kwami yawned, giving her a sleepy smile. Marinette placed her down onto her bed, tucking her into her own sheets.

”I’ll get you a snack from the kitchen so you can sleep with a happy tummy,” said the teen, feeling guilty that she had forgotten to save one of the Dupain pastries for Tikki. Quietly and cautiously, she slipped downstairs to grab something from the fridge, making sure not to make noise and avoid any of the rooms with the lights still on.

”Marinette?” She flinched, hearing Natalie from the kitchen entrance. Mission failed! “Marinette, what are you still doing up?”

”Couldn’t sleep, Natalie.” Marinette slid the biscuit she found into her pocket as discreetly as she could, not doubting for a moment that Natalie knew she was stealing snacks in the middle of the night. Said woman raised a brow ever so slightly.

”Right,” she said, “well, I was meaning to ask you tomorrow what you wanted your father to get you for your upcoming birthday, as your father has a day off tomorrow, but I suppose I can hear your answer now?”

Marinette cussed in the back of her mind, sirens going off left and right as she thought: _this is it! Do not screw this over, Marinette Agreste. Tikki believes in you! Chat Noir believes in you! Just ask-- Just--_ “Pastries!” The word fell from her lips before she could really think it through, and wow, did her world come crashing down. “...from the Dupain Patissiere. If… that’s quite alright.”

For the second time in a span of minutes, Natalie raised a brow. This was probably the most expression she’s gotten out of her, ever. “The Dupain Patissiere’s pastries? Have you had them before?”

”No, I-- I read about them online,” Marinette lied, smiling sheepishly. S _eriously? Pastries? Good going, Marinette Agreste. Real smooth, Marinette Agreste._ “They’re supposed to be… heavenly.”

”...Alright, if that is all,” Natalie nodded. The older woman nodded--her way of saying goodnight-- and turned to head to her quarters for bed. She was tired of disappointing herself. Marinette bit her lip, berating herself, yelling internally that it was now or never ever ever.

”N-Natalie!” she called, loudly. In fact, loud enough that what she had done could have classified as a yell, and she never yelled. Marinette deflated, eyes widening, insecurities clawing up her throat.

”Yes?” Natalie had stopped to look at her once more.

”Is it alright if I… if I told father myself what I wanted for my birthday? Tomorrow I mean?” The silence that followed felt endless, but realistically, only seconds ticked by. Natalie gave a curt nod, dispelling the terror piling in Marinette’s gut.

”As you wish. Good night, Marinette.”

”G-Good night, Natalie!” She called after the retreating woman, a smile threatening to take over her entire face. As soon as Natalie was out of sight, Marinette rushed back upstairs, bouncing off of each stop with a spring of shock and excitement. “I did it,” she said to herself, laughter echoing in the dark, empty halls. “Good going, Marinette Agreste! Real smooth, Marinette Agreste!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way to ruffle your own feathers, Adrien  
> Mari is a precious cinnamon roll who hasn’t realized that the hard part actually comes later, in front of Gabriel’s desk…. But we’ll let her have her happiness for now kekeke
> 
> A few things happened in this chapter, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, considering that I wrote it within a couple of hours. This is the longest chapter I’ve ever written in my life wtf is going on
> 
> This fast update was brought to you by the sudden motivation you guys brought me from the previous chapter! I never thought this would do as well as it is doing; never ever ever would I have thought so haha! 
> 
> Please tell me what you guys think and how I am doing!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Realization dawns on Mari and Adrien has a rough, yet not so rough, morning

Marinette woke up to the gentle chirping of the sparrows outside her window. She opened her eyes a crack, taking in the rays of sunlight filtering through her rich red draperies. It wasn’t incredibly bright outside, she could tell, and it honestly felt like the sun had just risen and it was six in the morning or something. She never woke up this early, not on days off. “Tikki,” she groaned, “why am I up this early?”

”It actually isn’t that early, Marinette,” replied the god sleepily from somewhere to her right. Tikki was probably still nestled comfortably in her tiny sheets, just like she was in her own bed. She would have been amused at their similarity, if she wasn’t still so darn sleepy. “It’s autumn. The sun rises later.”

”What,” Marinette said more than asked. She tried to sit up a little, blankets falling off of her. _Nope._ Feeling a shiver run through her spine, Marinette retreated back under her blankets, wrapping the thick layers around herself. “Oh my gosh, why is it so cold!” The reply she received was a simple giggle. Tikki, ever the maternal Kwami, flew out of her nice warm covers and towards the other side of the room, where Marinette had left the window open from the previous night. She pushed the window shut, effectively cutting off the breeze that was flowing steadily into her room.

”How are you feeling, Marinette?” Tikki floated back towards her Chosen, giving Marinette a good-morning cuddle before settling on top of her head. Marinette felt Tikki try to burrow into the nest on her head, clearly still a little dazed from sleep.

”Thanks, Tikki… And well, now that I think about it, I feel pretty well rested…” Marinette stood, covers still wrapped around her, and made her way towards her bathroom to begin her morning routine.

”That’s great! You’re talking to your father about going to school today, right?”

”Yeah…” She replied absentmindedly… wait… Father… Talk? Marinette froze, blood running cold. The shriek that followed sent birds scattering into the autumn’s morning sky.

 

After his night out with his best Lady friend, Adrien had gotten home quite late. He actually didn’t mind being with Ladybug so late-- not till he got home and realized he had promised to help his parents with the bakery in just a few hours. He had cussed as his transformation fell, not noticing Plagg giving him a sulky little glare before phasing through his floor and probably down to the kitchen. He remembered changing into his pajamas in less than a minute and diving into bed, determined to maximize his sleep time as best as possible. It wasn’t much as “going to sleep” as it was a nap.

Because his parents were the most amazing parents in the world, they could easily tell he hadn’t gotten enough sleep. “That’ll be all, Adrien,” his mother had said, green eyes twinkling with mirth. She had taken the half-rolled ball of dough in his hands and flicked his nose with her own flour-covered hands, making him sneeze. “Go up and rest a little before school,” she said with a laugh. “Your dad and I will take care of the rest.”

”What were you doing all night?” Tom had asked, voice slightly muffled as he was working the oven. Adrien gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and proceeded to remove his apron. “Did you forget you had to wake up early today?”

”I was practicing Mecha Strike so I can beat you down later,” he replied with a grin.

Tom got up, shutting the oven door, and laughed heartily; he patted Adrien’s back, eyes gleaming in challenge, and said, “you can try.”

Presently, Adrien stopped mid-stride as he passed by the bathroom on the second floor. The door was wide open, so he had the perfect view of himself on the mirror as he passed by. He backtracked and walked in, scrutinizing his reflection with a slight furrow to his brow as he turned on the sink and washed his hands. His blond locks were messy, but it looked fine-- normal. Turning off the water, Adrien ran his wet hands through his bangs, sweeping them to the side and off his face. “Geez,” he muttered under his breath, eyeing the splotches of flour on his face and on his arms and everywhere, really. Adrien usually prided himself in his confidence, not really bothered with how he looked because he believed that if he didn’t mind, no one else would either. What he did mind, though, was how tired he looked today.The blond rubbed his eye as he trudged up the stairs and up into his room, grabbing a towel on the way. “You look like a ghost,” snickered a voice as he came in. “Rough morning, kid? Thought you were a morning person.”

”I’m only a morning person when I’ve gotten enough sleep,” Adrien grumbled, pouting at his little black friend. Plagg was sitting on his head pillow with half a cheese roll in his little paws, crumbs scattered around him like he was attempting to summon a pastry demon. Adrien’s eyes narrowed at the sight, but he really couldn’t be bothered with the Kwami right now. With a sigh of surrender, Adrien grabbed his clothes for school and walked into his bathroom. “Leave me a roll, won’t you?”

”I’ll try, kiddo, but you better hurry up. These paws are uncontrollable around cheese.”

 

”TIKKI, I CAN’T DO THIS,” Marinette squeaked, pacing around her room for the umpteenth time that morning. Her hair stuck out in weird places, and her eyes were wide and panicked; one would never have guessed she was one of Paris’ top models and a rising European model. “I FORGOT I ACTUALLY HAD TO TALK TO FATHER TO TALK TO HIM.”

”Marinette, Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed, fluttering after her Chosen with waving little hands. “Calm down, you’ve done this before.”

”Done this-- Done what? I’ve never.. I’ve never made such a large request from father,” she squeaked, her hands on her cheeks as her footfalls came to a stop. “Oh, and Natalie has probably informed him that I wanted to talk to him-- I can’t back out now; he’s expecting me!”

”Marinette,” cooed the Kwami, pawing at her hand on her cheek gently. “There’s no need to be so afraid or anxious. He’s your father, he’ll hear you out.” Tikki floated in front of her charge, her large blue eyes staring into Marinette’s own blues. There was something about Tikki’s gaze that soothed the turbulence within Marinette, something wise and ancient. Marinette’s hands fell to her sides, and Tikki smiled reassuringly. “Plus, it’s a birthday request. All the more reason he’ll let you, don’t you think?”

”But… there must be a good reason father decided to homeschool me.”

”You could ask, but I’m sure there are even better reasons for you to go to a real school,” responded Tikki, “like making new friends and learning about different people and perspectives and cultures and developing socially…” Marinette watched as Tikki tapped on her little nub arms, as if she was listing things off of fingers. “And if your father wants you to take up the mantle when you’re older and lead the company, then this would be an invaluable experience!”

”It’s always a one-sided debate with you, Tikki,” said Marinette softly. Her heartbeat slowed considerably, and she tried to breathe deeper to calm her frayed nerves. “You’re always right.”

”That I am.” Tikki replied pridefully, her sugar-sweet smile widening. “Now, if only Plagg would accept that fact.” Marinette looked up at the Kwami curiously, noting the gentle and softer tone of her voice. From Tikki’s faraway look, she could tell that she had meant to say that to herself.

”Plagg? Who’s that?”

”Hn?” Tikki hummed, turning to her. Realizing where she was and what they had been talking about, the little god snapped back to reality, brought back from some distant memory. Marinette started to realize just how much she didn’t know about Tikki, who’s probably live centuries and lifetimes. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that she was a god in such a cute, tiny little body. “Oh, Plagg? He is my counterpart. Chat Noir’s Kwami.”

”Chat’s?!” Marinette exclaimed, previous thoughts completely overrun by the mere mention of the blond. For some reason, it never really crossed her mind that Chat had a Kwami… but that made perfect sense. They both had a Miraculous, they must both have the same source of power that allow them to become their alter egos. Marinette tried to remember the first time she met Tikki, and how the red entity discussed briefly their origins and her new super-powers. She remembered vaguely that Tikki told her that she now held the power of Creation, and because Chat was her counterpart, she deduced that he must hold the power of Destruction. Luck and misfortune… Darkness and light. She didn’t really know much about her partner, did she… In her mind’s eye, she tried to picture what Plagg would look and be like. “Could you tell me about Plagg, Tikki?”

”Only if you go talk to your father now, Marinette,” replied Tikki with a knowing smile, fluttering up to smooth down her crazy bed hair.

”Ooooooh, I… I can’t! I’ll make a complete fool of myself in front of him,” she wailed. Tikki nudged her towards the door, patiently cooing reassurances to her Chosen. At this point, Tikki knew she had to calm down if they were going to get anywhere.

”Let’s go for a walk, Marinette,” she suggested, “we can talk a little to get your mind off things.”

 

”Oh my GOD,” exclaimed Adrien as he ran down the length of the street, scarf flying behind him like a cape. His coat buttons weren’t aligned properly, and one of his shoelaces was untied. He had taken a nice, long, cool shower to wake him up, and he had actually felt better at that point. Plagg, thank the gods, had actually left him a roll and a half to eat for breakfast, which he ate as he changed. He was out the door after a quick hug from his parents, and opted to take the scenic route to school once more. Plagg, throughout all this, had been snoozing in his coat pocket with a full and happy belly. Adrien had thought for a moment that this morning wasn’t so bad, and that his day was gonna go as smooth as usual.

”You realize you’re late for class,” murmured the kwami in his pocket. Adrien had felt his blood freeze over and whipped his phone out. He was, indeed, already ten minutes late. HOW!

”Oh my GOD,” he yelled again, darting past confused Parisians and overtaking even the morning joggers. He skidded around a curb and down the street of the Agreste mansion. He wasn’t far off, but he still had to hurry. Hell, he was never late! “Why didn’t you tell meee”

”You didn’t ask,” was the reply that came, which made Adrien’s frustration grow even more.

”Damnit, Plagg, aren’t you supposed to be my--”

”Ouch!”

”Oof!” Someone had suddenly stepped out from the mansion’s gates and right into Adrien’s path. Because he was running at full speed, he couldn’t avoid the person, and now both of them found themselves sitting, butt sore, on the concrete. “I’m so sorry,” Adrien started, picking himself up and looked up at the other person. His eyes met clear bluebells, and his voice hitched in his throat. “Oh my god.”

”Oh,” said the girl breathlessly. She got up, a single braid falling around her shoulder, and dusted off her pink jeans. “Sorry, I should have checked to see if my way was clear,” she said, offering her hand with a shy smile. Adrien gawked.

”...Oh! Right,” he said sheepishly, laughing awkwardly, before he realized what he said. “NO! I mean, not right. You didn’t have to-- I mean-- that was my fault.” He took her hand and she pulled him up, surprising him with her strength. “Hahaha, uh, hi! You’re that girl.”

”I’m… pardon?”

”Your name is Pardon?” Adrien asked without thinking, brow raising. The girl looked at him incredulously, before bursting into giggles. _Whoa, she’s so cute--_

”No, my name is Marinette,” she said, and he couldn’t believe he was getting her name! Wait… did he seriously just ask if his name was Pardon? He wanted to facepalm so hard; he could feel the vibrations coming from his pocket and thought Plagg must be having a fit right now.

”Marinette.” Her name, it suited her so well somehow. It sounded beautiful. He couldn’t help but admire the shine in her inky locks. “I’m Adrien,” he said, “and your hair is really nice.” Marinette looked at him incredulously again, as if she couldn’t believe him, and Adrien realized he had SAID THAT OUT LOUD. “Uh,” he said.

”Thank you,” she said, amused. “Your hairstyle really suits you as well.”

”Oh, you think so? Haha, I actually just--” Adrien raised his hand to mess up his hair some more, but realized that the wind had actually swept his bangs up and to the side, giving it a coiffed up look. He stuttered, and brushed his bangs up. “I uh style it like this all the time. Takes a while.”

”Is that why you’re running late for something, Monsieur Adrien?” She asked good-naturedly. Adrien processed her words slowly and paled.

”Oh my GOD,” he exclaimed, “I-- I gotta go-- uh, it was nice to meet you, Marinette!”

”It was nice to meet you too, Adrien.” Marinette waved as Adrien turned and ran, sprinting down the street with a massive grin. He may be late to class, but he met that girl again; he could not believe his luck. He restrained a whoop as he neared his school doors. Maybe he was gonna let Plagg off the hook this one time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I just want to start of this author's note by thanking everyone who has supported this fic! Thank you for the kudos, the bookmarks, the subscriptions, and especially the comments! I loved talking to many of you and answering your questions, and I'm excited to continue this fic for you guys. And, to be honest, share the journey! So, again, thank you. I never thought this would blow up the way it did.
> 
> I also wanted to let you guys know that I won't have a set update schedule, simply because I've just transitioned into university this year, and wow... Life just gets better and better, doesn't it? Haha  
> I appreciate the patience, and I promise I'll update as often as I can.
> 
> Here’s the in-chapter POV switches I was so worried about! Hopefully it isn’t too much of a mess. Finally, Adrien and Mari meet as their civilian selves! They know absolutely nothing though… Isn’t that great? Fufufufu….
> 
> Anyways, I’d love to hear what you guys think!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few potatoes and a second meeting

Adrien entered the classroom sheepishly, a nervous hand on his neck. All eyes turned to him, of course, as he was fifteen minutes late to class… unheard of from Adrien Dupain. Chloe was staring at him from across the room, eyes narrowed and lips curled up in a sneer. He tried not to roll his eyes at her obvious pleasure of his predicament, though he thought that maybe Mlle Bustier would let him off. His eyes darted towards Nino and Alya, who looked at him with almost identical quizzical looks. Adrien answered them with a grin and a waggle of his brows. Mlle Bustier noticed him a few moments after everyone else did, having been previously preoccupied with writing on the board. She turned to him, surprised. “Adrien!” She exclaimed. “You’re… late.”

”Yes, Mademoiselle, and I apologize. I had a rough morning and failed to realize the time,” he replied with an apologetic smile and the most sincere tone he could muster. “Should I go to the principal?”

Given his perfect record and his high grades, Adrien was a model student. He could tell Mlle Bustier was considering this, a furrow on her brow. “No,” she decided, “I’ll let you off with a warning this time.” Though there was slight disappointment in her tone, Adrien could not restrain himself, and he smiled a little brighter. “Don’t let it happen again, understood?”

”Of course, Mademoiselle. Thank you.” Adrien made his way towards his seat as their teacher turned back around to finish what she was writing, grinning triumphantly at Chloe, who looked like smoke could have been coming out of her ears. As he passed, Alya gestured to him and mouthed something along the lines of “are you serious?” He merely finger-gunned at her, settling into his seat and greeting Nino. Nino tapped on his tablet, wordlessly telling Adrien to get on the chat. With a nod, Adrien pulled his tablet out of his bag, unlocked it, and tapped on the messenger app.

 

Ninah: u ok? Ur never late

Adrien D.: Im okay. Helped my parents this mornign and forgot to keep track of time

Alyes: did she seriously just let you off??? I swear if that was anyone else, it’s off the principal’s office you go

Ninah: teachers pet perks

Adrien D.: ...what the heck happened to your names

Alyes: HAHA you like?

Adrien D.: I am not a teacher’s pet tf????

Adrien D.: YEAH lol I need to come up with something

Alyes: How bout Adreally???

Adrien D.: no

Ninah: Alya pls

Alyes: btw nice hair Dupain

Alyes: going for the good boy look?

Adrien D.: ACTUALLY funny story ok so you guys remember that model from the park? The day we met you alya

 

”Adrien,” a voice called, and Adrien snapped his head up, eyes wide, at Mlle Bustier. She didn’t look angry, so she hadn’t caught them fooling around. In front of Nino, he could see that Alya had tapped out of the chat and onto some rather empty notes.

”Yes?”

”Do you remember what the junctures between neurons are called?”

”Oh, uh,” he replied dumbly. He hadn’t reviewed in the past couple of days, but the answer was at the tip of his tongue. “...Synapses? Synaptic… Cleft…?”

”Yes! Now, if you all remember, last time we discussed how the vesicles release…”

Adrien looked back down at his tablet, continuing his story as Mlle Bustier began to lecture as she walked around the classroom.

 

Adrien D.: right, so, that model girl at the park… I bumped into her today!!!!!!! And I got her name!!!!!!

Alyes: How’d you manage that

Adrien D.: -_-

Ninah: whoa whoa slow down

Alyes: Loljk ily

Ninah: really?? Is that the real reason ur late

Adrien D.: no, I actually bumped into her otw to class

Adrien D.: ANYWAYS her name is Marinette and she said my hair looks nice like this!!! *swoons*

Alyes: ….”*swoons*”?

Ninah: nice!!! Did u get her #

Alyes: WAIT WAIT WAIT Marinette? As in Marinette Agreste? I didn’t realize that was her at the park

Adrien D.: damnit i knew i forgot something…..

Adrien D.: I didn’t get her last name either boohoo

 

”I didn’t realize gossip was something needed to be discussed in class.”

”Huh?” Adrien looked up, realizing Mlle Bustier was looking over his shoulder.

”I realize that you believe you’ve already got this topic covered, Adrien, but that does not give you permission to slack off and distract your fellow classmates. Mlle Cesaire,” Alya looked up, giving Mlle Bustier a hesitant smile. “And Mr. Lahiffe. All of you, to the principal’s office. Bring your belongings.”

Rather dejectedly, the trio got up and gathered their things, making their way out of the classroom.

”Sorry bout that, Mlle B,” said Nino, the last to exit.

 

 

Marinette found her way to the park, her coat skirt flared from her waist and swaying gently with each step. She had a thick scarf on, and she had pulled it up to cover half her face. A weak disguise, but she deemed it adequate. Besides, most, if not all, teenagers were in school at this time. Adults were working, children in daycares or kindergarten. There was a small chance she would get recognized today, since there was almost no one out except for a few seniors. “Are you warm, Tikki?”

”Snug and cozy, Marinette,” said Tikki, who had decided to burrow into the side of her scarf. “Is the fresh air calming your nerves?”

”More like freezing it. I’m so cold, and it’s not even winter yet.” Despite the complaint, Marinette laughed. After the interesting encounter that morning, and her quiet walk around the area, her anxiety had certainly died down a bit.

”I’m partly at fault for that,” came Tikki’s sugar sweet voice. “The Ladybug powers come with a few side effects. Ladybugs hibernate in the winter.”

”And that’s why I’ve been cold and tired lately?” Tikki answered her with a yawn, and Marinette took that as a confirmation. She walked towards the fountain in the middle of the park and sat down at the stone edge, leaning over slightly to look into the water. “I’ll ask father when I get home, but for now, I want to enjoy my day out.”

”If you’re planning to spend longer out here, you should notify someone,” offered Tikki, ever the wise one. Marinette agreed, pulling out her phone and dialling Natalie’s number. She hoped she wouldn’t be too upset she had left without telling anyone, especially since she was always asked to stay at home.

”Good morning, Natalie,” she greeted politely as soon as the older woman picked up. “I’m just calling to let you know I stepped out a bit.”

”You went out?” Natalie asked, displeasure in her tone.

”I needed some fresh air. Besides, there’s not many people out… It’s a weekday after all. Sorry...” Marinette heard her sigh softly on the other end of the line.

”Where are you? When are you planning to return?”

”I’m at the park just a few away from home, where we had the photoshoot yesterday,” Marinette informed obediently, “and I was planning to be home just after lunch.”

”And your father?” Marinette winced.

”I’ll… talk to him when I return.”

”Alright. Good bye.”

”Thank you, Natalie,” the blackette said, just as Natalie hung up. “She’s really way too nice to me.”

”She cares deeply about you, that much is true,” said Tikki. Though Marinette couldn’t see her buried in her scarf, she could feel the Kwami nod in approval. Marinette sighed softly, leaning over the water and staring into her reflection. She studied her button nose, and scrutinized her inky black hair. There was not a single trace of her father in her; she was all her mother. . . But she didn’t have the twinkle in her blue eyes the same way her mother did in the pictures. She didn’t have the same, secretive smile.

”Do you think it’s pity?” The words were out before she could stop them. “They all treat me like I’m made of glass. Do you think it’s because they think I’d break?”

”Little bug,” cooed her Kwami, voice soft and paw padding on her cheek. “Don’t take it so negatively. It’s sympathy, yes, but it’s also because they all genuinely care about your well-being.” Marinette’s lips drew into a thin line as she looked at Tikki’s reflection, whose wide blue eyes were nothing but sincere. “Trust me, I know, Marinette.”

From the corner of her eye, the glare from the gleam of the sun reflected off of a vehicle. She looked up, noticing the Agreste car driving slowly behind the foliage wrapped around the gates at the edge of the park. Marinette sighed, smiling softly at her bodyguard’s attempt at being stealthy. Natalie probably sent him to tail her, to make sure she was safe. Tikki’s words resonated within her. _They all genuinely care about your well-being._ “Thank you, Tikki. C’mon, according to Google, the Dupain Patissiere is close by. We’ll get Monsieur Chauffer some pastries too.”

 

 

”Great,” groaned Nino as their little group exited the principal’s office. They all scored 2 days of detention for disrupting the class. “Did he say that we had to start our sentence today?”

”Yeah, he did,” sighed Alya. “Wanna ditch?”

”What-- we can’t!” Adrien sputtered, looking incredulously at the brunette. “Alya, seriously, how much of a rebel are you?

”It’s not us who got caught, lover-boy,” Alya teased.

”I resent that,” the blond muttered dejectedly. Today was seriously not his day after all. The bell rang, and students begun to file out of class.

”Oh, hey. At least we got to skip the rest of class anyway. Let’s go grab a spot for lunch,” suggested Nino, who was taking out his headphones and moving to place them around his neck--where they rightfully belonged. Slightly placated at the mention of food (and knowing for sure that Plagg had probably gone through most of the snacks he had packed), Adrien agreed and stuck his hand into his back to fish out his lunch. After a few seconds of shoveling around, he pulled out his arm, slowly, and deadpanned.

”What?” Alya laughed a little, amused at his expression of sheer irritation.

”The universe is out to get me.”

”What?” She asked again.

”I gotta run to my place and grab some lunch,” Adrien sighed, reaching up to mess his hair, though he caught himself midway and let his arm fall down. He wanted to try to keep this hairstyle, bangs swept up to the side and everything. “I’ll be back before class, hopefully.”

”Alright, my dude,” Nino said with a pat to his back. “See you later.”

”Later, Dupain.” Alya said with a grin and a wave, following after Nino. “Don’t get too blue, sunshine boy.”

”Yes, mom,” Adrien called, waving back as he exited the school. Once he was down the steps, Plagg popped out of his bag, hanging onto his shirt and crying out melodramatically.

”I haven’t eaten in HOURS,” the kwami whined, overly huge head thrown back and mouth wide in a cry. “I’m being abused!”

”I haven’t eaten either, Plagg,” Adrien snapped, running towards his home. Thankfully, his escapades as Chat Noir and his after-school fencing lessons improved his stamina over the years, so he was not out of breath despite the sprint. “And you didn’t mention that I didn’t have food on me either!”

”I was asleep, I did not realize.” The kwami hid under his blazer, away from the cool autumn wind, and made a mournful mewl. “Oh, woe!”

”Plagg, please,” groaned the blond, rolling his eyes as he slowed to a jog. “I’ll feed you twice as much, you glutton. Just stop whining.”

”Deal!” The cat kwami beamed, concealing himself as Adrien walked up towards the bakery’s front door. Inside, he could tell how busy it was, and he recognized many of the customers who frequently passed by. His mother, golden hair up in a bun and smile ever so sweet, was floating amongst the customers and chatting with them. His father stood behind the counter, bagging bread and pastries and bidding the customers good bye with a grin. Smiling despite himself, Adrien pushed the door open, the smell of freshly baked goodies overwhelming his senses. He faltered, however, when he felt Plagg crawl up his shirt and towards his shoulder. “Hey, Adrien,” he heard the god whisper, “isn’t that Pardon?”

”Who?” Adrien asked, getting snickers as a reply. He scanned the bakery, and his gaze landed on a petite girl clad in a rose-hued coat, pink lips curled sweetly up at his mother, who, at that exact moment, looked up and saw him.

”Adrien!” His mother called, and the girl’s--Marinette’s--beautiful blues turned to him in surprise. “You forgot your lunch, didn’t you? Come meet this wonderful young lady. What have you done to your hair?” Beside her, Marinette sent Adrien a shy wave, recognizing him for sure. He tried to wave back, he did. He swear he felt his soul leave his body.

”H-Hey!” he greeted after he had made his way towards them. He did _not_ trust himself to speak. “Er, hey mom. I uh… style it like this. Now. For a while.” Seriously, what the heck was he saying?

”Hello again,” Marinette greeted. “What a coincidence.” Adrien swallowed thickly, mesmerized. How could one be so pretty? Was he becoming some kind of crazed fanboy? Wasn’t he more than a stereotypical shallow adolescent boy? ...he didn’t think that out loud, did he?

”Oh,” his mother intervened with a twinkle in her eye. From the corner of his eye, he could see Marinette look at his mother almost fondly. “You two have met?”

”Yes, we--- I uh ran into her… this morning. When we met. I mean that’s when we met. It was great.” His mother blinked. “I MEAN the weather!!! Was… great.” There went his pride. And from the slight curl at the end of his mother’s smile, he swore his embarrassment could not get any worse. Adrien rubbed his neck and turned to Marinette with a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that, by the way. Are you hurt?”

”Not at all,” she answered. Her braid had come undone since he saw her this morning, giving her a sort of careless beauty. “I walked it off, quite literally, and came here for a snack before lunch… My friend, he gave me a taste, and I fell in love with your pastries.”

”Oh, that’s good,” Adrien said, almost in a daze. “You’re good… looking.” Silence. “FOR LUNCH. Looking for lunch,” he turned to his mother. “I forgot to bring lunch.”

”It’s in the fridge in the back where you left it,” his mother said, clearly restraining her laughter. Adrien nodded, beet red, and weaved past the two women and into the kitchen. As soon as he was certain he was alone, he let out a massive groan.

”I’m making a fool of myself!”

”More so than usual, yes,” Plagg added helpfully, phasing into the fridge and fetching Adrien’s lunch for him. After the container was safely in his hands, Plagg phased back in and fetched his cheese rolls, floating out with one already stuffed into his mouth.

”Ughh, I can’t help it. I can’t think when she’s looking at me with those blue eyes.” The blond walked towards the exit, unconsciously grabbing a croissant and eating it. “It’s like I can’t filter my words; it’s embarrassing. But no more!” With a ziploc and mouth full of cheese rolls, Plagg returned to his hiding place, unable to respond with anything but the sound of his chomps. Adrien re-emerged from the back, spotting Marinette immediately. She had a box of cream puffs and eclairs in her arms, and she looked rather troubled.

”I can’t possibly, Madame,” he heard her say, as soon as he was close enough.

”Oh, we insist, dear. Think of it as a gift for visiting the Patissiere for the first time.”

”Don’t worry about it, we have fresh batches in the back anyway,” Tom added, supporting his wife in the endeavor to apparently make her accept a box of freebies. “Besides, you’re sharing with that man outside, right?”

Adrien looked at the entrance, where a looming man stood, partly concealed and looking into the bakery. Adrien almost startled, a gorilla coming to mind. Marinette sighed, but remained stubborn. “Let me repay you somehow.”

”How bout your phone number?” Adrien raised his brows at the voice, thinking _which shameless male just hit on this innocent beauty?_ ...until he realized that was his OWN VOICE. “UH THAT IS TO SAY, because, I mean, we met twice today and uh if you wanna be friends it’d be nice to have a means of contact--” he sputtered, ears glowing, and continued, “and I mean I know where you live but I don’t think-- I MEAN” He internally screamed. WHAT HAPPENED TO NOT MAKING A FOOL OF HIMSELF?

”Oh… but is that really alright? I can still pay,” she insisted, unfazed. Adrien’s parents smiled wide, giving each other a look, before confirming that her friendship with their son would be more than enough.

”He needs more friends anyway,” said Tom, ushering him and Marinette to the side to exchange numbers.

His mother smiled at the blue-eyed girl, moving to return back to moving amongst the other customers. ”Be sure to visit again, okay?”

”O-Of course, Madame! Thank you!” Adrien buried his face in his hand, his other holding his lunch limply. He had to get back to school. “...it’s alright, you know.”

”What?” Looking up, his gaze met amused bluebells. Marinette pulled out a card from her purse and handed it to Adrien, careful to balance the box in her other arm.

”Knowing where I live, I mean. Most people do,” she said. Adrien accepted the card, then the pen that she handed to him after. She stated her phone number, and he quickly scribbled it down. “I know where you live now too.” She made a fair point, and Adrien couldn’t stop the smile that made its way to his lips.

”So is it alright to assume that you’re the famous Marinette Agreste?”

”I am,” she confirmed. “I’m… pleasantly surprised you didn’t know that.”

”I’m not too big on trendy stuff like fashion,” he said, thinking of all his lame hobbies and deciding to hold his tongue about it. “I’ll text you later, if you’re okay with that,” Adrien said, pocketing the card and handing the pen back. She nodded, and he walked beside her as she made her way towards the entrance of the bakery.

”I’ll look forward to it, Adrien Dupain,” she said with a heart-melting smile. Seriously, he had never seen such a genuinely sincere smile. He nodded, dumbly, as the Gorilla opened the door for her and escorted her to the car. “I’ll see you around?”

”Uh, no problem…” he uttered with a weak smile. He didn’t even realize his answer made no sense; he was too busy trying to figure out if his heart was still beating. With a wave and the slam of a door, she disappeared behind the sleek black metal. He watched--gawked really-- as the car drove away from his street and around the corner. He tried to shake it off as he re-entered the bakery. His bad luck had mixed with a ton of good luck today… He wondered why that was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so instead of paying attention in lecture, I ended up writing this. Yay for procrastination and my short attention span?
> 
> Not much happens in this chapter. I did tag this "Slow Burn" right? Haha
> 
> Okay, so a few things:  
> 1\. I'm not one of those writers that have everything specifically outlined and whatnot, so the story and its details do shift as I go along. That being said, I would take suggestions and ideas, on either plot points or character traits. Some of you guys that have commented have already contributed to the development, actually. But anyways, I'd need a means of contact, like Tumblr or something. What do you guys think? Alyes or Ninah?
> 
> 2\. Obviously Marinette isn't gonna call Gorilla "Gorilla," but there's no canon name released for him. In this chapter, she called him "Monsieur Chauffer," but the thing is.... he isn't JUST a chauffeur. Can you guys suggest some names for him? Even nicknames like Monsieur Chauffer; I'm just not the most creative XD
> 
> 3\. Lastly, I'd love to hear how you guys think the love square will go in this fic! Not that I'm saying I'm going to confirm or deny anything, but I love talking about the love square because it hurts so good ; v ;
> 
> Anyways, until next time, my Miraculous readers! /shot


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari's boss battle and mystery friend

The looming and ominous oak doors clicked behind Marinette’s slightly trembling form, shaking for certain an effect of the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She stands there, almost frozen in time, and leans back on the door for support when her legs begin to feel like wet noodles. She can feel the strong beats of her poor heart, as if it were running a marathon, and realized she was still holding her breath. Marinette stares, eyes wide, at the fluer-de-lis decor on the opposite hall’s teal velveteen wallpaper, as if it was the most disturbingly offending thing she’s ever seen. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t know what to do. Her mind was a blank slate, devoid of any voices. She didn’t even have Tikki to snap her out of it, as she had asked the Kwami to kindly stay in her room. She wanted to do this on her own, and do it she did. She still couldn’t believe it.

Without warning (well, perhaps there were footsteps, but she couldn’t hear anything but ringing and the pounding of her heart in her ears), the door behind her swung back. With a yelp, Marinette found herself falling and landing unceremoniously on her behind the second time that day, now staring up at her father’s office ceiling. “Marinette.” There’s only a slight hint of surprise in her father’s voice, nearly undetectable. “What are you doing?”

”Oh, father, hello again,” she said from the ground, her smile much wider than usual. She pulled herself up, continuing as she dusted herself off. She was trying to keep some semblance of properiety, unaware of how well that was going. “I was inspecting the, uh.” The silence that followed was probably deafening and thick with awkwardness, but Marinette couldn’t feel it. Unable to make up some dumb excuse, she shrugs and opts for “I’m going to my room to practice, and I’ll message Natalie while I’m at it.” Quick as a bug, the teen reached around her father’s waist and squeezed, and zipped so fast down the hall that Gabriel was unable to react.

 

_Marinette stepped out of the vehicle, carrying the box of pastries gingerly in her arms. Now that she was back home, a feeling of dread had settled deep, deep in her gut. Instead of looking up at the looming silhouette of the Agreste mansion, the teen chose to look up at the looming silhouette of her bodyguard instead. “Thank you, Monsieur Gerard,” she said with a small smile. It sounded like she was thanking him for the ride and for him opening the door, but she really meant to thank him for watching over her as well. He didn’t really stealth that well, but he didn’t to know that. “These pastries are for you and Natalie, too. Please don’t hesitate to take some if you’d like to.” Monsieur Gerard simply nodded, ever the man of few (or no) words._

_Marinette walked into the mansion, Monsieur Gerard walking away as soon as they pass the front doors. Used to his demeanor, Marinette hung her coat on the rack, proceeded to the kitchen, and placed the box of pastries on the counter. She opened the cupboard and pulled out a plate and a cup, letting it swing shut as she slid the plate next to the box and moved to the fridge to pour juice into her cup. Once that was done, she settled on a stool and opened the box of delectables. “Ooh,” Tikki squealed quietly from her shirt. The Kwami had moved from her purse to under her shirt for a better look. “They look dee-licious!”_

_”And you can have most of my share. I’ll only have a couple at most,” said Marinette as Tikki nuzzled her Chosen with a trill of glee. Marinette picked out a few puffs and eclairs, listening to Tikki as she excitedly whispered what she wanted. However, all of a sudden, Tikki stilled. This was usually a sign for Marinette to look up, and look up she did, hearing the approaching clacks of a pair of heeled feet. “Natalie,” she greeted as the woman stepped into the kitchen, her tablet noticeably missing from her hands. Marinette was vaguely reminded that today was everyone’s rare free day. “I went to the Dupain Patissiere and got everyone pastries. They gave it to me for free as a first time giveaway. You must have some.”_

_”Thank you, Marinette.” Natalie was eyeing the plate in front of Marinette, which was filled more than her usual small portions. The teen could almost feel herself flush, but Natalie spoke once more. “But I actually came to get you. Your father would like to see you now.”_

_”N-Now?”_

_”Yes. He’s in his office and is waiting for you. It shouldn’t be long, so you can leave the pastries out.” Natalie paused. “I’ll have some later.”_

_”Okay,” was Marinette’s weak reply, accompanied with a weak smile. Though seated, she could feel her knees begin to shake and her frustration begin to rise. Trying to gather herself up, she snatched a cream puff and took half of it in one bite, squeezing her eyes shut and picturing her recent night with Chat Noir. It helped a little, and it gave her a surge of strength. “Okay,” she said again, getting up and leaving the kitchen._

_Why was she so scared? She knew the answer to that question, and she hated herself for it. There were too many unknowns to taking risks like this. She was afraid her father would get angry, or maybe even upset. Would he think she was ungrateful, rebelling? “Deep breaths, little Bug,” whispered her Kwami as she ascended the steps and made her way to her father’s office._

_”Now or never, now or never,” Marinette whispered to herself, and Tikki agreed enthusiastically. With Tikki’s cheers and the memory of Chat vivid in her mind, Marinette knocked._

_”Enter.”_

_”Father, good afternoon.” Smiling politely, Marinette entered the office. She was honestly surprised at how stable her voice sounded-- no shakes, no stutters. Her father’s office was, as usual, almost infuriatingly neat, with all varnished wood surfaces gleaming beautifully and books all organized in the floor-to-ceiling book cases. His usually drawn curtains were open, letting the sunlight filter in. He looked like he as doing some light paperwork, despite his day off. She supposed a CEO never actually had a day off. “There are pastries downstairs for everyone from the famous Dupain Patissiere,” she continued. “I could bring you some, with tea, if you’d like?”_

_”Thank you, Marinette. Please do be conscious of your nutritional intake.”_

_The coldness in his tone made Marinette flinch, and she felt herself retreat a little into herself. “Yes, father.”_

_Gabriel Agreste’s pen stopped scribbling, suddenly, and his icy blues met hers. “You wanted to discuss something with me.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement, and his business-like tone suggested that he wanted to get on with it. Marinette gulped, confidence beginning to trickle out of her body… thankfully, not in the form of urine._

Did I actually just think that in this situation? _“Yes, father,” she began, distracted from her anxiety by that absurd thought. “Actually, I.. have a request to make. For my birthday.”_

_His eyebrow raised subtly, though it was definitely worth noting. He was probably surprised she was making a request at all, since she has not done so in a long, long time. Not since her mother… “And what is it that you are requesting for your birthday?” Her father asked, cutting off her trail of thought._

_”Oh, I…”_ Here it goes. _“I was wondering if I could…”_ Come now, Marinette Agreste. _“For my birthday…” Gabriel’s finger tapped impatiently on his desk, and Marinette gave herself a final push. “I wanted to go to school!” Silence followed her outburst, and the teen began to panic. Was he mad? Upset? Disappointed? No, wait, did she make sense?! “T-To clarify, father, I’d like to begin attending regular school. As a birthday gift. I-I know it was your decision to homeschool me, and I know you did so as you thought it was best, but I thought, perhaps, I could learn so much more beyond academics if I attend school, and it would be so beneficial if I am to become CEO of Agreste--”_

_Gabriel held up a single finger and silenced Marinette immediately. He stared at her for a few seconds, thought it felt like several centuries. “Please,” she pleaded. She could see the “no” forming in his mind. “I’ll keep to my schedules. I’ll keep my grades immaculate. I won’t dirty the Agreste reputation, father, you know I wouldn’t.”_

_”Marinette. Do you know why you are homeschooled?”_

_She didn’t. She had never questioned her father’s decisions. She did not blame him for becoming the man he is now. She went along with it, because she wasn’t the only one who had lost someone dear to her. “No, father.”_

_”You are home-schooled because you are not like other adolescents your age. You are my daughter. You have always been advanced in academics, and would not benefit much from having to learn at a lower level in regular schools.”_

_”Father,” Marinette began, weakly, voice wavering._

_”But,” he cut her off, “I suppose you have a point.”_

_”...Father?”_

_Gabriel’s pen began moving again, and his attention was no longer on her, as if he had thrown the subject aside. “Tell Natalie to take care of your supplies. You are to stick to your schedule. Gerard is to be with you at all times. You may go.”_

_Marinette could only muster a “th-thank” as she nodded dumbly, making her way stiffly out the door._

 

Presently, Marinette was tapping furiously on her phone, biting on her shirt to keep the screams from coming out. Behind her, Tikki was flying in loops, cheering for her Chosen, puffs and eclairs forgotten in the kitchen.

Natalie, father is letting me go to school! He is asking you to purchase supplies for me. May I come with you?

”TikKI,” Marinette squealed as soon as she pressed send, head whipping around so fast she could have given herself whiplash. “TikKI CAN You bELieVE IT”

”Oh, of course, Marinette! I knew it would go well for you. You just had to believe in yourself!” Tikki zipped towards her and gave her a cuddle, giggles music to Marinette’s ears. “Oh, little Bug, I am so proud of you!”

Marinette gave her Kwami a cuddle back, thanking her profusely for all her support. “Oh, I’ve got to tell--” Marinette grabbed her phone once more, texting the only other number she had that wasn’t Natalie, Monsieur Gerard, or her father.

Please come to my place asap! Huge news!

After less than a couple of minutes, Marinette received a text back.

Be there right after school xoxo

Elated beyond words, Marinette collapsed on her bed and stared up at her ceiling, reality not sinking in. “I’m going to school, Tikki,” she said breathlessly. “I’m going to be a regular student in a regular school making regular friends.” She sat up suddenly, mouth open in a small O. “I’ve got to tell Chat!”

Tikki merely chuckled. Her Chosen could just be so predictable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I played with having ordering chronological events weirdly. The italicized section happened before the beginning and the end, though I'm sure (OR I'M HOPING) that everyone understood that. 
> 
> Yes, Gabby is a little more chill in this AU  
> There was almost angst there. Good thing Gabby has no time for that shit lol  
> Who is mystery friend? Could I have been any more obvious than I was? Tune in next time...
> 
> We'll be getting more Marinette next chapter. I'm sure many of you are itching for some of sunshine boy. In due time, loves. In due time.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunate Adrien and Mari's mom friend

Just as she had told her father, Marinette began to practice in her room. She had changed into a tight fitting spandex leotard, one of many in her closet, and tied her hair up in a little ponytail. Marinette liked the feel of spandex; it was the closest feeling to her Ladybug suit she could ever find. She supposed it was the same thing, but without the magic. Making her way to the far corner of her room, underneath her loft, Marinette settled on the panel mat and began her stretches. Though her stretches were slow and her counting was steady, her thoughts could not stop racing. “I’m going to school,” she said breathlessly across the room as she got up and reached back, lifting her leg up and high into a needle pose. When she felt the back of her head touch her leg, she released and did the other leg. “Tikki I’M GOING TO SCHOOL”

”Marinette, focus or you’ll hurt yourself!” The Kwami chided. Tikki was sitting on the little table next to Marinette’s bed, beside the plate of pastries Marinette retrieved after her first few freakouts.

”Sorry, sorry,” the teen giggled, settling on her elbows and lifting her legs up in a split above her head. Marinette continued practice for well over an hour, taking breaks in between to nibble on the pastries and going downstairs to retrieve water and juice. When she was doing her final lunges, there was a loud knock at her door. Tikki was quick to zip into her quarters in Marinette’s bookcase, looking like a red blur as she flew past.

”Marinette,” came Natalie’s voice as the door swung open and the bespectacled woman peeked in. “You have a visitor.”

”Oh!” Marinette grabbed her towel and patted away the sweat on her skin, coming forward with a bright smile on her face. She waited expectantly and was not disappointed as a girl clad in bright yellow strode through her door. Chloe Bourgeois walked into her room as if she owned the place and placed a well-manicured hand over her eyes.

”Oh, you wouldn’t be-LIEVE the day I’ve had, Marinette.”

”Hi, Chloe,” greeted the blackette, going up and giving the blonde an air hug. Chloe returned it, careful not to touch the sweaty girl. Smoothly, Chloe dropped her bag beside Marinette’s chaise and dropped herself onto the furniture with a slight bounce.

”Hey, sweety, I know you’ve got something stupendous to tell me, but I’ve got to get some things off my chest. Today, that blond stain in my life came to class late and got away with it! I was seething!” Marinette drank some water as Chloe spoke, placing her towel around her neck and settling beside her friend. She was always eager to hear about Chloe’s experience in school, even when the blonde had little good to say most of the time. Marinette took a second to absorb Chloe’s words, before she perked up a little.

”Oh! You can get away with being late from school?” She was storing information, unbeknownst to the Bourgeois heir.

”Yes! But only because he’s a little goody two shoes. I was ready to throw a fit, but then he and his sad little friends got sent to the principal’s for chatting,” Chloe sneered. “They’re probably rotting in detention right now.” Marinette was a bit surprised to hear that chatting was an offense worthy of being sent to the principal, and thought that Chloe must be a pro at sneak-texting. Satisfied with her “happy” ending, Chloe flipped her wavy ponytail over her shoulder, crossed her legs, and leaned against the plush pillows comfortably.

”I’ve always wondered why you hate them so much.”

”It’s because they’re rude to me and disrespect me.”

”Well, remember to try and avoid them. You scowl when you’re around people you dislike,” Marinette said, reaching over and smoothing the wrinkle on Chloe’s brow. “And scowling causes wrinkles.”

Chloe blinked, looking at Marinette weirdly, before releasing a big sigh. “Marinette, the mere thought of those three makes my nose crinkle… anyways! On to better things.” The blackette nodded, unfazed by Chloe’s sudden change of demeanor. Growing up with the Bourgeois girl was like growing up with a fierce thunderstorm. Marinette could probably thank Chloe for her ability to save face when unexpected things occurred. “So, Marinette. What was _so_ important that I had to come here right after school?”

”That’s just it, Chloe,” Marinette gushed, smiling widely and grabbing the other girl’s hands. If she was standing up, she would have been jumping around for sure. “You just said it.”

”What?”

”Father has allowed me to attend classes… in a real school!”

”What?!”

”I KNOW!”

”Which school?!” Chloe asked, grasping Marinette’s hands tightly, looking as if whatever answer Marinette said would either make her shriek in either joy or outrage and nothing else in between. Marinette tried to keep a poker face, but she failed to restrain a snort.

”I think I’m going to Collège Françoise Dupont.”

The shriek that followed sent the birds settled on the mansion flying. “We are going shopping for your new stuff _right this instant_!”

 

 

“Adrien, get a hold of yourself,” said Alya with a raised brow and an amused curl on her lips. She was walking beside Adrien and Nino, _away_ from the detention classroom, jackets and coats on and ready for the outdoors. They had managed to convince the assigned teacher to let them out half an hour earlier, and they had, not Adrien’s charm to thank this time, but Alya’s persuasiveness. Somehow, Alya could just talk people for things regardless of how unlikely she’d get it; Nino and Adrien had to admit they were impressed, even though Adrien was previously against the idea of “ditching” detention. “You’re giving me second-hand embarrassment.”

”You’ll get used to it eventually,” snickered Nino, who was trying to cover his wicked glee behind a hand. Adrien gave his best friend a pointed look, rubbing his poor sore nose as he strode between his two mischievous friends. Seconds ago, his nose introduced itself to a concrete pole. He was lucky it didn’t break. Peripherally, he saw Alya dive towards his other hand, and he moved it away from her path just in time.

”Aw, come on, Adrien. You’ve been ogling that piece of paper in your hand since you came back from lunch. Who was it from?!” Alya laughed as Adrien blanched.

”Wh-What do you mean ‘who was it from’?”

”Dude, we’re not dense,” added Nino, “we’re pretty sure it’s a girl’s phone number.”

”But what we want to know,” continued Alya, sliding in front of Adrien and stopping him in his tracks. “Is _who_ the girl who gave you her number is, because you’re a mess, sunshine boy, and we only have one suspect capable of incapacitating you to this extent.”

”Yeah, tons of girls have given you their info before. You’ve never straight up stopped functioning like this.” Adrien gaped at Nino, who stood next to Alya, arms crossed, and grinned impishly at the blond. Adrien’s green eyes slid to the bespectacled girl beside his best friend. His internal fear of Alya only continued to grow, fueled further by her apparent influence on Nino. _What a woman_.

”I--” Adrien began.

Alya’s fiery amber eyes lit up. ”Is it Marinette Agreste?”

Adrien choked on his spit.

”Dude, no way! You scored on a famous model?” His best friend jogged over and gave him an approving slap on the back. “Atta boy! Have you texted her yet?”

”Uh,” was all Adrien could reply, cheeks burning so hot he was sure he was glowing. He shook his head as an attempt at communication. Alya joined in on Nino’s mini celebration, throwing an arm around his neck and offering to give him expert advice.

”Text her tonight, just so she can get your number, too,” said Nino.

”Don’t use your creepy smiley emojis,” offered Alya. Adrien bristled for a split second, before sulking as his friends lead him out of the school.

”Hey! They’re not creepy…”

”Nino tells me that while your pretty face attracts the ladies, you’ve never been in a relationship.” Adrien gave Nino a betrayed look, and Nino raised his hands in defense. “But don’t you worry. Mama Alya and Uncle Nino’s got your back.”

”Guys,” interjected Adrien before anyone could say anything further. Slightly defeated, he let out an exasperated sigh and decided he might as well confide in his friends, even if it was embarrassing. “I can’t even talk to her. The two times I’ve actually spoken to her, everything that came out of my mouth was lame, lame, lame.”

”I’m sure it wasn’t that bad, my man,” encouraged the tanned boy, placing an empathetic hand on his shoulder. “Besides, she wouldn’t have given you her number if she didn’t think you were a little cute.”

”Unless it’s a fake,” hummed Alya. Adrien’s eyes widened as he turned the girl, who looked deep in thought, with a finger to her chin.

”No way, it can’t be,” denied Adrien. Marinette seemed like such a sweet girl. She wouldn’t do that would she? ...but he was so weird around her… Did she give him a fake number because she thought he was a creepy? But… She said she was looking forward to him texting her.

”I didn’t mean to burst your bubble, Adrien. I’m not saying that’s the case,” said Alya as she tapped under Adrien’s chin. He had deflated, posture drooping, and Alya tried to pep him back up. “I’m just saying some girls do that. But I’m sure she was genuinely taken in by you, Adrien. Send her a text, if you’re not so sure.”

”But… what do I even say?”

Nino offered his input. ”Hello, Marinette. This is Adrien, the guy you met today?”

”Minus the creepy emojis,” added Alya once more, laughing as Adrien sent her a pout.

”That’s it?” Honestly, he might have sent her a full on paragraph if the decision was left solely to him.

”For now,” Nino said, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. “When she replies, you can go from there.”

”You think she’ll reply?”

”Sooner or later, given her packed celeb sched, but yeah,” responded Alya with a nod. Adrien felt encouragement flood back into him as his two friends sent him reassuring smiles. If she sends him a conversation killer, he’ll revive the conversation. If she texts him late, he’ll wait. If she had given him a fake number, well… he hopes that she enjoyed his parents' baking anyway. Filled with a newfound resolve, Adrien whipped out his phone and unfolded the card in his other hand. On either side of him, Alya and Nino watched him input the number like proud parents watching their son graduate from school.

Before Adrien could dial in the last few digits, a strong tremor shook the ground beneath them and a shockwave boomed, sending a gust of wind past them. The card in his hand was sent fluttering away, almost bouncing off of the concrete with the gale. “Shoot!” the blond exclaimed as he hurried after it, bent down and swiping at the escaping piece of paper.

”Adrien!!!” yelled Nino from somewhere behind him.

” _I AM SQUALL_ ”

”Adrien, there’s an akuma!!! WE HAVE TO GO!” Adrien stopped in his tracks, watching disdainfully as the wave of air blew the card further and further away.

”Shit,” he muttered under his breath. With narrowed eyes, he turned back to his friends, seeing the colorful akuma in a distance. First things first. He had to get his friends to safety. “Guys, this way, before he spots us!”

 

 

After getting permission from her father and informing Natalie that her previous assignment of getting her school supplies had been stolen by her friend, Chloe whisked Marinette out of her house, into her car, and off to the mall. It had only been half an hour since their arrival, and M. Gerard already had boxes and bags on him. He followed behind them as they strolled through stores, a large, intimidating figure that kept fans at bay. Marinette sent some of her fans a smile and a wave, remaining polite while Chloe turned her nose high in the air. “Don’t give them your time, chéri,” the posh girl would say, dragging her into the next store.

Chloe had helped her choose out at least five new outfits for school. Though she told her friend she didn’t need it, Chloe insisted, telling her a few new outfits wouldn’t hurt if she wanted to be fashionably ready for school. The blonde also helped her pick out other supplies like a tablet, pens, pouches, and a new bag. Presently, they were settled on plush chairs, a pair of professionally dressed women giving them pedicures. “My treat,” Chloe had said, “besides, we’ve walked around so much. Our feet deserve a little TLC.” M. Gerard was next to the salon, in a cafe and enjoying a slice of cake, since Marinette insisted that he have a rest, too.

”Thanks for today, Chloe,” said Marinette with a fond smile. “I don’t think I would have had this much fun if I had gone with Natalie.”

”Of course not,” her friend agreed shamelessly. “I _make_ the fun experience.” Marinette laughed softly, humored by her friend’s attitude. She may come off as rude to most, but she knew that was Chloe’s way of saying “I had fun, too.”

”An emergency alert has been issued to the city of Paris as another akuma has been sighted near--”

Marinette’s blue eyes snapped up towards the flat screen next to the salon’s large mirrors. The video cut from the news anchor to a video from what Marinette assumed was a helicopter as it circled around the area of danger. It was zoomed in so much that the quality of the video was a bit grainy, but she could make out a figure floating amidst a small tornado that was tearing apart the streets. “We are asking all Parisians to evacuate the area--” The figure seemed to wave its arms and the tornado exploded into all directions. She tensed as the video cut off, and prayed that the helicopter remained in the air. Moments later, a tremor shook the mall. Civilians were beginning to panic, and some were beginning to run out.

”Chloe, we’ve got to get out of here,” she said. The blond looked irritated more than anything.

”Marinette, settle down. Ladybug and her sidekick will handle it.” Marinette would have bristled, if another tremor had not shaken the very foundation of the mall. Full-scale panic was spreading, and she saw anxiety flash in Chloe’s visage for a moment. Gerard ran into the salon just as the employees began running out, boxes and bags somehow on one bulky arm.

”Monsieur!” exclaimed Marinette. However, as she looked up at her bodyguard, her sharp eyes noticed a small figure outside of the glass doors. She focused on the crying child, seemingly lost amongst the running crowd, and noted the thick advertisement board swinging precariously above him. Gerard followed her gaze for a moment. “Monsieur, please take Chloe to the car and drive to the further entrance! It’s safer there.”

The large man gave a mute nod and scooped the Bourgeois heir up with his free hand, holding her by the waist. “Wha-” Chloe tried to protest. “Marinette!”

”I’ll meet you there!” She called as Gerard ran with the crowd. Sprinting with all her might, she ran towards the child, dove, and rolled, cradling the child in her arms just as the board fell where the little boy once stood, electric wires coming loose and crackling dangerously. “You’re safe,” she cooed, letting him go. “Shh, shh, you’re safe.”

”Philippe!” cried a woman’s voice.

”Mama!” The boy reached out towards the woman as she ran up and wrapped the boy into a tight embrace.

”Oh Philippe, my baby!” Her watery brown eyes met Marinette’s, and she gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

”My pleasure, Madame, but you must go to safety. The akuma is close to this building!” She urged her, and she nodded, running with the little boy in her arms. As soon as she was out the doors, Marinette slid into a small corridor, and Tikki fluttered out of her purse. “You ready, Tikki? We can’t leave Chat Noir fighting that akuma on his own.”

”Ready when you are, Marinette! Though, I’m sure Chat is holding up well! Be careful, okay?” Marinette gave the kwami a soft smile.

”Always. Tikki, Spots On!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In chapter two, Adrien said "transform me"  
> I have since changed it to "Claws Out" just because I like that version better. Idk it sounds so dorky... "Claws Out" and "Spots On" fufufu
> 
> 1\. Yes, Marinette does gymnastics in this AU  
> 2\. Mama Alya and Uncle Nino are suspiciously close. Catson is such an oblivious child  
> 3\. LOL sorry Adrien. According to your bad luck, you don't get to get good things  
> 4\. Gerard best guy. Super stronk. He a cool dude.
> 
> I can't believe next chapter is the tenth? Have I written that much alredi  
> Where is the plot
> 
> Pardon moi I'm drunk
> 
> What are your thoughts guys  
> What did you think of Chloe LOL


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catson is confused, Alya has a brilliant idea, and Nino is stressed
> 
> have some LadyNoir  
> hapPY VALENTINES

The akuma fight had been particularly gruelling this time around, and it lasted way longer than the superhero duo would have liked. The damage to the city was twice as bad compared to usual, owing to the heightened destructive power of Squall. According to the akuma’s supervillain monologue, he was a scientist working to place more windmills into use for electricity and power. However, funds for projects are low, and he was rejected time and time again. Of course he would be dejected. It was understandable. But it was always unpleasant when Hawkmoth took advantage of vulnerable civilians at times like this. Chat Noir rolled his aching shoulders, watching as his partner spun her yo-yo, her expression tired but determined. “Time to de-evilize!” The yoyo flew out after the escaping butterfly and engulfed it with a flash of light, returning to Ladybug’s waiting hand in a mere second. Shadowy tendrils seemed to dissipate from the akuma, leaving behind a confused, middle-aged man. Chat Noir made his way to the civilian, helping him up and answering his questions. Behind him, Ladybug purified the akuma, releasing it with her signature: “bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!”

Chat was only vaguely aware of the hordes of magical ladybugs flying around the city, righting everything the akuma had wronged and fixing even the tiniest crack. Now that the akuma battle was over, a wave of misery hit him. He lost Marinette’s number. He didn’t even send her a text. Should he pass by her place and explain what happened? No! What if she got upset that he lost it just like that? His eyes widened as another possibility entered his panicked mind. _What if some random idiot picked it up and texted her and it wasn’t me and she’ll think I gave her number away and it’s her PERSONAL phone number oh my GOD_ \---

”Chat,” said a familiar soft voice, and he almost startled. Marinette was here? He whipped around towards the person, apology ready to fly.

”Ma--” he began, but stopped short. His eyes met surprised bluebells, staring owlishly at him through a spotted red mask. He felt his heart slow. It was only Ladybug, his friend, his partner. For a moment, and perhaps due his thoughts, she sounded just like Marinette. “My Lady,” he corrected. “Hey, nice work.” He offered his fist with a grin, and she bumped it with her own, though her eyes scrutinized his face as if searching for something.

”Right back at you,” she muttered. A crowd had begun to gather around them, some taking photos and videos, some applauding. Chat sent the crowd a charming smile and Ladybug waved politely, both of them unfazed as their Miraculous began to beep. “Chat,” she said again under her breath. Chat’s ears twitched, picking up the low sound. She always spoke so quietly around him, he was glad his heightened senses never missed her words. “Can we talk?” The duo waved their goodbyes to the crowd before zipping and catapulting into the rooftops, where civilian eyes could not see them. Chat Noir turned to Ladybug, smiling coolly.

”Need another pep talk, My Lady? If so, I’m your cat.”

”Not exactly, Chaton,” she replied. Her earrings lost another spot just as his ring lost another paw pad, yet neither of them moved to leave. “And if anything, I’d say you are the one who needs a pep talk.” Chat Noir’s smile faltered. Was he that obvious? Had his emotions hindered them? Was that why this fight took longer than it normally did? “Chat Noir,” continued the heroine, placing her hand on his shoulder. He was taken aback by the softness in her blue eyes, and he couldn’t help but notice how pretty his partner was. Did he just have a thing for blue eyes? “I have something to tell you, but you can talk to me too, if you need it. I’m here, if you need me.”

”That’s…” Chat shifted his weight between his feet, rubbing his neck as he contemplated the offer. Should he bother her with petty civilian problems like a runaway phone number? Did he want her to know the reason he was off today was because of a hardcore crush that rendered him dumb? “That’s alright, Bugaboo,” he decided, smile returning to his visage. “I purr-reciate the offer, but it’s nothing major. Just silly girl problems.” He paused, lips thinning. “I didn’t hold us back, did I?”

”Oh,” she said, hand falling from his arm. “Oh…”

”...My Lady?”

”Oh! No, no,” the girl denied, waving her hands in front of her as if waving away the mere thought. “No, you didn’t hold us back, Chaton.. Hawkmoth just.. Somehow made it a lot harder today.”

”Pfft, yeah. It’s like he got a good night’s sleep or something,” he joked. Ladybug agreed, laughing weakly. Chat Noir noticed the subtle change in her. “LB, you sure you don’t need a pep talk?”

She shook her head no, pigtails swishing with the motion. Chat fought down the urge to bat at them. “No, but I did have something to tell you. Notre Dame at nine?”

Chat Noir grinned, baton ready in his hand for departure. His ring beeped louder, and he could vividly imagine Plagg telling him _get going, I’m starving over here!_ “It’s a date!”

”Right…” Ladybug laughed softly, though he heard no humor in it. Seriously, Chat thought, he might just bring her some pastries later. “It’s a date.”

 

 

Chat Noir slipped into the alleyway behind the little souvenir store he left his friends in prior to the akuma attack, dropping his transformation after a quick check for any wandering civilians. Plagg floated out of his ring, whiskers drooping but expression as cynical as ever. “Where’s my cheese” It was a demand more than a request. Adrien pulled out a cheese stick from his pocket and peeled the plastic off of it, handing it over to the grumpy kwami.

”This is all I have for you right now, Plagg. I’ll get you more once I find Alya and Nino.” The kwami wolfed down the cheddar-mozzarella and released a little burp, following Adrien has he snuck into the back door of the store.

”Fine,” Plagg said, flying behind Adrien’s blazer. “But I want a _mountain_ of cheese rolls later!”

”I’ll give you all the cheesy leftovers from the bakery,” Adrien conceded, knowing better than to fight the little god’s gluttony. The kwami remained silent as Adrien emerged from the back. No one had noticed where he came from, as the owner and the employees were too busy recovering from the panic. The blond scanned the store, looking for his two friends. Near the front, Nino was tapping furiously on his phone. “Nino!” he called, jogging over. Once he was next to his best friend, he realized an absence. “...Nino? Where’s Alya?”

”THIS WOMAN RAN OFF ON ME!”

Adrien stepped back as Nino exploded, shoving his phone into Adrien’s face. There were a list of angry texts coming from Nino and a lack of replies for Alya. He realized that she had only begun to reply around the time the akuma was purified. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but…

”She gave me the slip after you gave _us_ the slip,” Nino continued ranting, making Adrien rub his neck sheepishly. The tanned teen continued, hat askew on his head. “--saying something about having to catch it on video and starting a blog. You two are going TO LITERALLY GIVE ME A--”

”GUYS, I caught the whoLE THING ON VIDEO--”

Adrien dragged a hand down his face as Alya burst into the store, grinning widely despite the glare Nino was sending her way. Alya was indeed the civilian he thought he saw hiding out in one of the evacuated streets during the akuma fight. The sun had reflected off of her phone, which was the only reason he even noticed her. She was brave and pretty sneaky, he’d give her that, but Adrien thought running straight into the eye of the storm (almost quite literally) was a terribly dangerous idea. “Alya,” he started, not giving Nino the chance to rewind and restart his rant. The video playing on Alya’s phone was pretty good in quality, which only concerned him further. It looked like she got pretty close. “You could have gotten hurt.”

”No way,” denied the vivacious brunette, retracting her hand and rewinding the video. She looked like she was searching for something, and when she found it, she hit pause with a smirk, shoving the phone in his face like Nino had. “See that? Chat Noir saw me. If danger got close, he woulda pulled me out.” The paused video showed Ladybug in mid-air as she yo-yo’d off the roof and Chat Noir squinting in Alya’s general direction. Adrien restrained himself from face-palming.

”Okay, Alya, but you can’t run into danger like that! What if he hadn’t seen you?”

”Ladybug would have, then. I trust them.”

While her vote of confidence was nice, Adrien stood his ground and opened his mouth to fight his point again. However, Nino cut him off. “You can’t talk, dude,” Nino snapped, “you ran off FIRST.” Adrien shut his mouth at that.

”But--”

”You’re supposed to stay INDOORS during an akuma fight, not run TOWARDS THE FIGHT.” Nino waved his hands at them both, and Alya and Adrien looked at each other with raised brows. “Am I the _only one who has any common sense here?_ ”

”...okay, you know what, we should uh.” Adrien looked at Alya for help, but the girl was too busy re-watching the video on her phone to catch his look, a sparkle in her gleeful eyes. The blond moved to place his hands on Nino’s shoulders, maneuvering him out of the souvenir store and onto the sidewalk. “We should have some cake. At my place. Yeah. Let’s go, Nino, you need to unwind.”

”Dude, I need MORE than cake. Do you know how much I texted you--”

”I think I’m going to call it… The _LadyBlog!_ ”

”Alya, you AREN’T HELPING.”

 

 

”Bye!” called Adrien as he waved his friends off. Alya waved back, still excited over the video she risked her life over, while Nino waved halfheartedly, only barely placated by the array of sweets his parents offered him. One they turned away, Adrien retreated back into his home, making his way to the back kitchen where his mother was taking a break. “Hey mom. Need help with anything?”

”We’re good, Adrien, thank you,” she replied with a smile. “We’re closing in a couple of minutes. Would you hand this to your father though?” Adrien nodded, taking the water bottle and re-emerging into the bakery. “Dad,” he said, handing im the water. “From mom.”

”Give her my thanks,” said Tom, gratefully accepting the water. Adrien nodded, grinning, and turned to re-enter the back kitchen as the entrance bell rang, signalling the entrance of a last-minute blue-eyed customer.

After grabbing some snacks from the kitchen cupboard, (with his mom reminding him not to eat too much before supper), Adrien made his way up into his room. He closed the trapdoor behind him and fell horizontally on his bed, stretching his over-worked limbs. “Hawkmoth gave us a workout today,” he said to his ceiling, though from the crinkling of the bag of chips, he knew Plagg was up and about.

”Maybe you’re getting out of shape,” said the Kwami. He sounded like his mouth was full.

”I don’t want to hear that from you, you glutton,” retorted the blond as he pushed himself up and strode across his room, settling in front of his desk. “Alright,” he said to himself, checking his phone. It was only five. He had four hours to do his homework, eat dinner with his parents, and shower before he met up with Ladybug. He forced himself into the working mood, and three and a half hours later, his work was done for the next school day, his supper was eaten, and his hair was nice and clean.

Adrien stood on his balcony, letting the air dry his coiffed-up hair. “Does my hair look weird like this?” He asked, looking at his reflection on his phone screen. His bangs were up and swept to the side. Marinette had told him that it looked nice like this, and he supposed it didn’t look bad on him at all, but it gave him a sort of made up look. Like a some flowery pretty boy.

”It doesn’t really matter to me what way you put up your fur,” replied Plagg lazily, sitting on Adrien’s shoulder and licking his paw clean of any cheese crumbs. “It becomes a mess after you transform anyway.” Adrien rolled his eyes at the little god’s answer. What else was he expecting from Plagg, honestly? With a call of “Claws Out!” and a flash of green later, Chat Noir was running across the Parisian skyline, leaping and bounding his way towards Notre Dame. With a final extension of his baton, he catapulted himself up to the peak of the tower. Not surprised, he found His Lady already settled there, hugging her knees close, watching the city’s lights.

”Good evening, Chaton,” she said, not turning.

”My Lady,” he greeted, putting his baton into place behind him and moving to sit next to her. “We really must stop meeting like this,” he purred, “people will talk.” Chat expected a retort from his spotted partner, but instead, she shoved an object into his face just as he sat down. What was it with people shoving things into his face lately?

”For you,” she said, face concealed behind said item. Chat scooted back a little, and saw that she was holding a familiar box in her gloved hands. It was a box from his parents’ bakery, the only difference being the red bow and the little sticky-note next to it. The thought that Ladybug was at his house as her civilian self vaguely crossed his mind. He accepted the gift gingerly, placing it on top of his crossed legs. He couldn’t help but smile a little.

”Bugaboo, you didn’t have to return the favour.”

”I’m not returning the favour, Chat Noir,” she said, a slight pout on her pink lips. “I.. Just read the note.”

”Okay, okay,” he chuckled, amused. He pulled the small card out, reminded briefly of the important card he lost today. He pushed the thought away; he didn’t want his partner to worry about him further. Sliding a clawed finger between the folds, his eyes met with an elegant cursive, written in deep pink ink.

_To the best fur-end a Bug could have,_

_You gave me the courage to turn my civilian life around._

_I hope I can give you the same strength in whatever hardships you may be dealing with, but for now, here’s the same pick-me-up you gave me. It worked wonders for me, by the way._

_Stay claw-some and stay paw-sitive._

Chat read the short message again, lips splitting into a fond smile. “My Lady,” he said, and Ladybug straightened up, cheeks a light pink. “These puns. They’re cringe-y.”

”They’re your puns!” She accused, pointing a finger right into his leather-clad vest. He laughed, trying to move away from her wrathful pokes.

”It’s the application, you need to work on it! It sounds like you just googled some puns and stuck them in there.” Ladybug pouted, averting her gaze, and Chat burst into another fit of laughter. The heroine bristled, snatching the box from his lap.

”Fine! If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it!”

”What happened to the strict diet, Bugaboo?” He teased, poking her belly. Ladybug swatted his arm away, cheeks glowing in embarrassment.

”I will eat what I paid for,” she defended, grabbing an eclair and stuffing it into her mouth. Chat Noir chuckled, his mostly unfortunate day melting a little from his mind as he retrieved a chocolate macaron for himself. He felt himself sink into this moment, with no one else but his partner, the city night lights, and the twinkling stars as company. The previous night on the same tower reversed as Chat leaned on Ladybug’s shoulder, staring out at the city he fought so hard to protect. The girl tensed a little, before relaxing into him.

”You asked your dad for that birthday gift?” He asked.

”I did.”

”Did it go well?”

”...it did.”

”I’m happy for you, My Lady.”

”You gave me that confidence, Chat Noir,” she said softly. He felt her lean her head on his. “Thank you.”

”I told you,” he replied, “anytime.”

”That’s exactly what I wanted to tell you, too, aside from my success with father.” Ladybug sat up, and Chat Noir followed, straightening up and meeting her blue eyes. “I want to be there for you the same way you were there for me,” she said, eyes blazing in confidence. Chat Noir smiled. She was usually shy around him, a little on the quiet side. Her boldness only came out during an akuma fight, but it was nice to see it surfacing outside of those times. She was beginning to change, perhaps finally taking advice to heart.

”And you are,” he assured. “I’ve no doubt you’ve always got my back.”

”...alright,” she conceded, the fire in her eyes dying back down into her usual glowing embers. She looked like she wanted to say more, but he didn’t push. Instead, he decided to open up more to her. She was trying so hard to be a friend to him, and he had continually closed her off. He supposed he needed to lighten up a bit.

”I lost something important to me today, before the akuma attack,” he stated, “and it came after a particularly rough morning. Add the tough fight with Squall, and you’ve got a distracted cat. But,” he paused. Ladybug looked up at him again, listening attentively to him. “You made it better. Hanging out with you is always fun. Being out here, it’s always liberating.”

He wasn’t sure if he imagined the ghost of a touch on his cheek. He turned to Ladybug, whose hand was still outstretched, and stared at her in surprise. Her eyes looked up at him, pupils dilated, filled with an emotion he couldn’t quite place. He had never seen her look at him that way, and he felt the slightest flutter of wings deep in his stomach. Snapping out of it _hard_ , she retracted her hand and nearly burst into flames. “C-C-C-C-CRUMBS,” she yelled, “CRUMBS ON YOUR FACE.”

”Oh,” Chat said dumbly, gloved hand reaching towards his cheek to rub the offensive crumbs away. “Thanks.”

Ladybug nodded, returning her gaze to Paris. His eyes lingered on her for a moment, before he tore it away. _Huh_ , he thought, unconsciously placing a hand on his stomach. _Weird._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NO, NOT WEIRD, ADRIEN. C’MON CATSON. SHE’S A BEAUT. You don’t find a girl like _that_ every dynasty! /shot for references
> 
> Happy Valentines, readers! Here is a longer update for you guys because you guys ARE my valentine! Haha~
> 
> As a side note, Idk if you guys noticed, but in the beginning of the fic, Adrien would wear his hair like Chat would even in his civilian life. After bumping into Marinette, he changed his hair-style to OG!Adrien’s. Hee
> 
> Back to my sad university life! ene


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari is a mess  
> Adrien is just about to be a mess

_I am not in love with Chat Noir_ , she thought as she leapt past the buildings of Paris from her night out with Chat Noir, eyes wide and cheeks flushed a deep, beet-red color.

 _I am not in love with Chat Noir_ , she thought as she slid into her dark room, and as her transformation dropped. She slipped on her pajamas sloppily as Tikki floated lazily onto her bedside table, where a plate of cookies lay waiting for the kwami.

 _I am not in love with Chat Noir_ , she thought as she lay in bed, eyes wide and unblinking, cheeks still hot, ignoring the knowing yet worried look the little red god was sending her from her bookcase.

 _I am not in love with Chat Noir,_ she thought every morning for the next few days, waking up to darkness as she was scheduled for a few morning shoots at the edge of Paris. She would sit up and stare at nothing, unaware of Tikki watching her, worried.

 _I am not in love with Chat Noir_ , she thought as she went through the motions of each photo shoot, from the clothing changes, to the solo shoots, to the group photos, to the breaks in between, to the travel to and from locations.

 _I am not in love with Chat Noir,_ she thought as she fought alongside said offender when an akuma started wreaking havoc in Paris in the middle of the week, catching and purifying the akuma in record-breaking time so she could return to her photoshoot.

 _I am not in love with Chat Noir,_ she thought as Chat tried to ask if she was okay, but she zipped away with some lame excuse of needing to use the washroom desperately.

 _I am not in love with Chat Noir,_ she thought as she wrapped up her home-schooling lessons, finishing up the last of her homework well into the night.

 _I am not in love with Chat Noir,_ she thought as Chloe dragged her back to the salon for the “matching manicure” on the weekend, letting the blonde decide what colour and what design they could paint her nails.

 _I am not in love with Chat Noir_ , she thought as she trudged up to her room from another lonely dinner, Natalie’s words echoing distantly in her mind about books… and lunch… and a bag…

“I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH CHAT NOIR,” she screamed, startling Tikki out of her wits and almost startling her out of the air.

“You’ve finally snapped out of it,” said the kwami breathlessly, her hand on her chest, as if trying to calm down her little heart. “Marinette, you’ve been in a daze for days. Were you aware of what was going on?”

“What? DID SOMETHING HAPPEN”

“No, no, nothing like that,” replied Tikki, fluttering up to Marinette’s eye level. “Don’t worry, I’ve paid attention in your stead, so you technically didn’t miss anything!” Marinette stared at Tikki’s sweet smile, and gave a sigh of relief, falling onto her bed like a log.

”Oh, Tikki, I’m a mess!”

”No, you’re in denial.”

”Tikki!” exclaimed Marinette, pushing herself up to look at the kwami accusingly.

”But moving past that,” the little god interjected, floating beside her Chosen, “ _most, most_ importantly, did you hear anything Natalie told you in the past hour?”

”No,” Marinette admitted, pushing herself up completely and settling onto a sitting position, her arms holding a fat black cat plush against her tightly. “Sorry, Tikki. I was completely out of it.”

”That’s alright, Marinette, but you’ll need to take a deep breath before you hear this.” Marinette nodded, fear creeping into her features. Her mind was beginning to form its own conclusions, jumping from bad to worst. Did something happen to the city while she was conked out? Did something happen to Chloe, or M. Gerard? Was her father alright? Was her father still _there?_ Marinette watched as Tikki opened her mouth, steeling herself for the worst. “Your first class is tomorrow.”

Dead silence.

”W-What!!!!!!!” Marinette shrieked, jumping off of her bed and running around her room in a frenzy. So earlier! Natalie was saying! Books! Lunch! Bag! _School tomorrow!!!!_ “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh--” she fumbled, stuffing her new school supplies into her new bag, nearly tripping on her carpet. “Oh my--” she froze midway, noticing her bright yellow nails. “What in the world?!”

”You went out yesterday and let Chloe pick out your nail design,” filled in Tikki as she sat on Marinette’s pillows, a lollipop in her hands. Marinette studied the metallic yellow paint on her fingers, trying to decide if this was acceptable.

”Ngrh.” She ran to her bathroom, looking for a bottle of nail polish she was recently given from a shoot. “Ngrh,” she grunted again, looking through the many bottles in one of her drawers, where all her nail-care items were. “Ngrh, here!” Victoriously, she pulled out a bottle of pink polish. The pink was a little less saturated, which would tone down the yellow quite a bit. Sliding onto the plush towel on the bathroom floor, Marinette applied a coat of pink to each of her bright nails and smiled at the results. Her nails were a lot less metallic neon yellow and more of a rose gold.

”They look great, Marinette,” Tikki said, fluttering at the bathroom doorway (she didn’t like the smell). “But… now you have to wait for your nails to dry before doing anything else…”

Marinette deadpanned, realizing that she still had to do so much to get ready for tomorrow. Heck, she didn’t even know what time class started! She didn’t even know how the classroom system worked! “I’m finished,” she wailed, “I’m done!”

”If only you admitted before that you were in love with Chat Noir,” Tikki muttered under her breath, shaking her head and restraining a laugh at her Bug’s antics. Not hearing Tikki, Marinette fumbled her way up and into her bedroom, bee-lining for her computer and tap-tap-tapping the password in. She typed into her messaging system and cringed at the jumble of letters, but she just couldn’t be bothered to correct any of it.

_Today, 8: 23 PM_

Marinette Agreste: Cjloe, aew yuo busy?

Marinette waited a few seconds, waving her hands to somehow make her nails dry faster. Like an answer to her prayer, three bouncing dots popped up on her screen, signifying that the girl on the other end had read her message and was typing back a reply.

Chloe B: ...are you okay

Marinette Agreste: wet nils

Chloe B: ???? We just had your nails done yesterday

Blue eyes flitted to an almost identical pair as Marinette turned to her wise mentor kwami for some divine guidance… to which said wise mentor just shrugged. Marinette almost slapped herself in exasperation, but stopped as she didn’t want to risk having to re-do her nails.

Marinette Agreste: I udpated them

Marinette Agreste: Chloe im stating cass tomorw

Marinette Agreste: I have no ide whats gokng on

Chloe B: tbh where would you be w/o me?

Chloe B: I’ll give you the grand tour. Be up @ 7 30, I’ll pick you up.

Marinette bit her lip, embarrassed at herself, though thankful to her friend. She couldn’t believe she completely lost poise like that, for the entire week, just because… just because…! Oh, who was she kidding? Her cheeks flamed at the mere memory of Chat Noir, speaking to her in such a warm voice, a softer voice. The moment felt so personal, and they felt so _close_. He had leaned on her shoulder, smiled softly at her, and opened up to her. He said he had fun when he was with her. He said being out there, as Chat Noir with Ladybug, felt _liberating_. The definition hit so close to home, and his eyes were so beautifully green in the glow of the Parisian light, that she had reached out … and caressed…

”Tikki,” she whispered, slumping into her computer chair.

Tikki flew into view, landing just in front of her keyboard, and looked up at her with curious blue doe eyes. ”Yes, Marinette?”

”Am I… in love with Chat Noir?”

The kwami only smiled up at her, and Marinette proceeded to bury her face in her hands, unaware of her bangs sticking to her slightly wet nail polish.

 

 

Marinette scarcely slept that night, deciding to re-do her nails completely after hopping into the shower, annoyed that there were tiny but noticeable clumps of nail polish stuck to some strands of her bangs. She had re-arranged her school supplies so that it didn’t look like she had thrown everything in in a panic (as she did), and put her damp hair into sponge rollers so she would have cute curls in the morning. Though she had plenty of time for slumber, she could barely sleep a wink, plagued by gorgeous green eyes whenever she closed her eyes. So, she got up early the next morning and splashed her face with some ice cold water to wake her up, proceeding to apply minimal makeup afterwards. She removed her rollers and styled her curls, tying most of it back with a red ribbon and leaving a few coiled strands to frame her face. She chose a casual navy dress to wear under her pink coat, and a light pink beret to match and to contrast against her dark hair. Just as she packed her lunch into her bag and finished her breakfast, Chloe texted her: “outside.”

”Stylish as always, but it’s a bit much for just school,” was Chloe’s greeting as Marinette waved bye to Gerard and Natalie, who saw her off. Marinette hopped into the car, toes curling inside her plain cotton flats.

”I couldn’t sit still,” she defended, smiling weakly at the blonde. She was too busy fretting over the broadest things and even the most minute details. She was worried about school; she couldn’t stop thinking about a certain leather-clad hero. She was scared to make friends; she was jittery about seeing him again. When Marinette’s mind became chaotic like that, she always did was she knew best-- she delved into fashion. Between trying to sleep and pacing the room, she had drawn out a few designs in her sketch-book. She even sewed a little, but she was always too afraid to wear her creations out.

”Well, you’ll have to sit still in class if you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb,” Chloe said, doing nothing to calm Marinette’s nerves. Chloe’s icy blue eyes gazed out of the moving vehicle’s window, watching the buildings pass by uninterestedly. Marinette was amazed she could sit still like this, though she supposed this was a normal thing for Chloe. Oh, she couldn’t wait until this was a normal thing for her. “More than you already will, that is.”

”I.. I’m going to stick out?”

”You are a celebrity in Paris, cheri,” the blonde stated, sarcasm flying over Marinette’s head completely. “I could go as far to say you’re a celebrity in _Europe_.” Marinette bit her lip, anxiety bubbling in her gut. Though she knew how to handle crowds due to her modelling career (and her part-time job as heroine of Paris), she didn’t quite know how to act around others her age. She may have worked once or twice with a model her age, but mostly, they were a few years older. And when she did get to talk to them, it was always small talk that never developed into anything more. Chloe glanced at her, expression unchanging. “Marinette, stop fidgeting. Just act like you usually do; it’s just another crowd of people.”

”But they’re not,” the blackette said almost miserably, “they’re going to be my schoolmates. My _classmates_.”

”You’ve gotten this far without eliciting some scandal with hordes of paparazzi on your tail. A few other teenagers are going to have far less of a bite than people who try to pick you apart and find your flaws for a living.” Marinette’s bluebells met cool icy blues, and the model began to think that maybe her friend had a point. She knew how to put on a brave face; she’s been doing it for ages. In that school, in that class, she won’t be Marinette Agreste, model extraordinaire, daughter of designer Gabriel Agreste. She’ll be Marinette Agreste, the student. A transfer, and a late one at that, but a student nonetheless. “Besides,” Chloe added, glossed lips curling as the vehicle came to a stop in front of an unfamiliar building. “You’ve got me with you.”

”And you’re scarier than M. Gerard,” said Marinette airily, turning Chloe’s smile into a scowl in a split second. She laughed. Though she was still nervous, at least she wasn’t going into this alone. She already knew someone, and according to Natalie, Chloe was in all of her classes. “Okay,” Marinette nodded, “I’m ready.”

Swinging her purse over her shoulder, Chloe stepped out of the car as her chauffeur opened the door. Marinette followed soon after, eyes drinking in the two-storey building near the base of the Eiffel Tower. It wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small. There were several windows, and she could kind of see the classrooms from outside. There was a faint smell of freshly baked bread in the air, and she wondered if the school was close to any bakeries.

”Out of the way, Dupain,” she heard her friend hissing venomously. Marinette looked up, surprised to see her friend facing off with a familiar blond boy. _Dupain_ , she thought, _Adrien Dupain, the bakery boy._ She recalled giving him her number and realized, a little sadly, that he never texted her.

”Back off, Chloe,” the boy responded. Marinette was surprised to hear the growl in his voice, different from the sweet fumbling that came from him the two times they met. Lighting flew from between the two, and Marinette did was she was used to-- she threw herself between them to cut the looming fight off. She didn’t need an akuma fight today, not on her first day of school. Marinette stepped in between them, facing Adrien, a hand out slightly to hold her thunderstorm-friend back. The boy, Adrien, looked shell-shocked at her sudden appearance. Marinette didn’t want to think negatively, no, but did he think he wouldn’t see her again or something? Did he keep her number? Did he give it away? She didn’t know the boy, she realized, and she had trusted him so quickly because of his innocent face and seemingly naive demeanor.

”Stop,” she said, steel in her voice and a blaze in her blue eyes. After a moment, she added softly, “please.”

”Come, cheri,” harrumphed the blonde behind her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away from the boy. “I don’t want him to taint you.”

Marinette realized at that moment that Adrien was the “blond stain” Chloe was referring to, and she felt a little sad upon finding out so. Her gaze lingered on Adrien for a moment, who remained staring after her, perhaps confused. A little disappointed, she tore her gaze away, walking away from what she thought could have been her first new friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS THERE WERE SO MANY UNINTENTIONAL PUNS (AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUNS) IN THIS, I KID YOU NOT QQ I’ve been restraining myself from using bee puns whenever Chloe’s in the chapter too bc she won’t be receiving a kwami in this fic…. At least, I haven’t planned for it.
> 
> Am I updating this fic too fast? XD I mean, I think I've uploaded 3 chapters within 7 days. I should start holding chapters back LMAO  
> Actually, I should start proof-reading AHAHA
> 
> ANNOUNCEMENT: I made a Tumblr that you guys can contact me on. I post MLB art and other writing-involved stuff on there, but if anything, I'll post questions and update notices or whatnot on that blog as needed. The url is (don't judge me): marinot-adreally.tumblr.com
> 
> On a side note, I was discussing this fic with my friend, wondering if I should make a bangin' action-filled angsty plot for this, but I decided I'll keep it as a development fic.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *throws angst at readers* know that I love yall

Adrien had a leisurely morning that day, waking up a few minutes before his alarm could go off and shake Plagg into a rude awakening. He let the little kwami sleep in as he prepared for school, having oatmeal for breakfast and packing extra cheese rolls in with his lunch for Plagg to snack on later. Ready to leave, Adrien scooped the small cat-god and placed him into his blazer’s inner pocket. Plagg barely stirred, much to Adrien’s amusement. Donning his autumn coat and throwing his bag over his shoulder, Adrien gave his parents a quick hug before exiting the already-busy bakery. He took the “scenic” route to school again that morning, accompanied by no one else but the breeze and the leaves it blew with it. Subconsciously (or rather, quite consciously), he had woken up earlier just so he could take the longer route in hopes that maybe, maybe he’d bump into Marinette again. But as his luck would have it, he walked past the vast Agreste mansion without a single sign of the blue-eyed girl.

He tried not to get down-hearted as he rounded the corner and trudged towards school. Surely, sooner or later, he’d see her again… _in person_ , he thought to himself, thinking of the fashion magazine he had come across in a souvenir store and bought without second thought as soon as he saw that Marinette had an exclusive photoshoot in it.. Even in her photos, there was a certain mysterious twinkle in her eyes and a secret hidden behind her smile; he simply could not rip his gaze from her. Adrien’s lips thinned. _I am not a creep, I am not a creep…_

”Ugh!” Adrien was harshly brought to reality by someone cutting into his path and the smell of disgustingly familiar perfume. Chloe Bourgeois turned her head towards him, lip curling into a sort of snarl. He had to bite back his own snarl, eyes narrowing as the blonde shot him an icy glare. “Out of the way, Dupain,” she hissed venomously, holding her palm out as if she was trying to materialize a wall between them.

”Back off, Chloe,” he snapped back, only barely constraining the growl in his voice. If he were transformed right now, his cat ears would have been lying flat on his head, hackles raised in agitation. The blonde girl only continued to glare at him. Slightly annoyed, Adrien refused to back down and glared right on back. He wasn’t going to succumb to Chloe Bourgeois, even if she _was_ worse than some of the akuma he had faced before. His non-existent cat ear perked at the sound of quick footsteps, and his eyes widened as his view of Chloe’s cold ice-blue was replaced by beautiful, darker bluebells. Adrien’s mouth opened in a soft gasp, stunned into speechlessness. Can someone get prettier by the day? No, by the second? He swore she had become even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her…

”Stop,” she said, a firmness in her voice and steel in her eyes like he has never seen before. It woke him from his stupor for a moment, and confusion began to set in. After a split second, Marinette’s boldness quickly returned to her more quiet demeanor, and she added, “please.” Adrien opened his mouth to say something, but the blonde stain in his life beat him to it.

”Come, cheri,” Chloe said as she took Marinette by the wrist and tugged her away. He almost hissed at the intimate nickname. “I don’t want him to taint you.” Adrien felt his blood begin to boil again, but Marinette’s gaze found his and quickly cooled the burning in his gut. Adrien stared after her even as she disappeared around the corner-- Marinette Agreste, being pulled into his school on a school day. Could it be? Was she transferring here?

”Morning, son.” Alya sidled up to him, though he barely registered her presence.

Adrien could not take his stare away from where Marinette had been standing seconds ago; he was trying to put the puzzle pieces together. Marinette … Chloe… friends. He wasn’t too thrilled with that revelation, but he accepted it. She seemed relatively unaffected by Chloe’s bad attitude. Could she possibly just be sitting in? Chloe could get away with it.

”Hello? Earth to Adrien? Is your brain up on some cloud again?” He felt someone tap his head and turned his attention to the offender.

”Huh?” he said, intelligently. Alya raised a brow.

”Are you gonna keep gawking at nothing, or are you gonna tell me what’s up?” He looked at her, brows furrowed, as if he’d never seen this girl before in his life. Just as Alya’s concern skyrocketed, Adrien grabbed her hands in his and probably grinned the widest grin he has ever grinned in his life.

”Alya!” He ran in place on his tippy-toes, almost just completely bouncing on his feet. “Alya! Marinette… Marinette was here! In school! Walked in! IN SCHOOL!”

”Whoa, whoa, calm down, Dupain,” the bespectacled teen said, “take a deep breath. You’re not forming sensible sentences right now.” His bouncing did not cease.

”Marinette, the model, the nice girl I met, she was here, she came-- she might be going to school… here!”

”What, really?” Alya asked. She began walking towards class, removing her beanie and stuffing it into her bag as Adrien unconsciously followed her down the hall.

”Or she could be checking the school out?” Adrien said, more to himself as he pondered on possible alternatives of why she could have been here. “She could _just_ be transferring here? I don’t know what school she goes to. I hope she’s transferring here. She could just be sitting in with Chloe--”

”With who?” Alya interrupted, turning to him with a skeptical brow. Adrien took one look into her eyes and knew exactly what she was thinking, but Marinette wasn’t like Chloe.

”With Chloe,” he repeated. He paused a moment, gathering his words. “Look, I know it’s… I know it sounds like… Look, Marinette isn’t like Chloe at all, alright? She’s sweet, and polite, and--”

”Rich and spoiled rotten?” Alya provided, unhelpfully, and Adrien bristled.

”Alya! You can’t judge her based off of her socio-economical status!” The blond exclaimed, lower lip protruding in a pout at his sassy friend. Alya kept walking, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

”I’m not sure that’s a real word, Adrien.”

”It is.”

”Okay, okay!” The brunette halted in her steps, turning to Adrien and crossing her arms. “I don’t mean to be prejudiced, Adrien, but I’m just saying… a renowned, wealthy, good-looking girl, daughter of a famous designer, and a friend to local she-devil Chloe Bourgeois…” Adrien’s brows raised, but Alya continued. “With a description like that, anyone would automatically presume you’re a spoiled, snobbish, princess-type elitist like Chloe.”

Well, I’m telling you she isn’t,” he sulked. He didn’t care if he was acting like a child right now. He knew what he knew… He couldn’t explain it, but he could just see it in her eyes. He may have stuttered around her like a complete idiot, but being around her gave him a feeling of comfort, as if… as if they’d known each other beforehand. Resolutely, he said, “just trust me. I’m a great judge of character.”

”If you say so, Adrien,” conceded Alya with a slight smile. “I mean, if you’re defending her this much, then maybe she isn’t so bad. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.”

”That’s right,” Adrien said, grin returning.

”But for your sake, I really hope she is what you say.”

”Don’t worry, I know she is.” He walked ahead of her a little, as if stepping towards a door into the unknown. Alya rolled at his theatrics. “I just hope I can talk to her some more.”

 

 

”Ugh, seriously, my morning has already been completely ruined by that annoying little fly,” grumbled Chloe as she chewed angrily on her gum. Marinette sat beside the blonde on the bench, watching as she checked her hair and makeup on her compact’s mirror. Marinette thought today would be a much brighter day, and that she’d be staring in awe at each wall they passed and every door they went through. Instead, she hung onto Chloe’s last words, the image of the boy’s face flashing in her mind. She played with a coil of her curled hair, masking her confusion and slight frustration well from her friend.

“You mean… that boy, right?” _Adrien_.

”Yes, that _boy_. You saw how rude he was to me, didn’t you? Seriously, I don’t get why he’s so popular.” Marinette looked up at this. A few students were walking past them, curiously staring at her, and she gave them a polite smile before returning her attention to Chloe.

”He’s popular?”

”Yeah,” replied Chloe unhappily while she applied lip gloss onto her already glossy-enough pink lips. “He acts all goody-goody to stay on the teachers’ good sides and get his way. He has all the girls pining after him, too, and he just soaks up all the attention-- disgusting to watch.” _Oh_. Marinette deflated just a little, losing her perfect posture and her perfect facade for a fraction of a second. She began to wonder if she had just been one of those girls-- part of a collection. A frown tugged at her lips, and she couldn’t hold her own frustration back. She just didn’t understand.

”I actually met him a week or so ago,” she admitted. “And he was really nice…” He was sweet. A little awkward, but it was an amusing type of awkward. His parents were some of the kindest people she had ever met. He seemed so friendly-- like he wanted to be friends with her. “I gave him my number because I thought we could be friends…” Maybe it was one-sided. Maybe she was seeing what she wanted to see…

”Marinette!” gasped Chloe, hand on her chest as if she had been personally offended. Marinette smiled sheepishly.

”But he… never contacted me after.” Marinette looked away, watching a pair of students chatting happily at the other end of the hall. She wondered what they were talking about… what “normal, teenager” thing they were discussing. Chloe remained silent beside her for a long moment, and Marinette did not notice the blonde studying her face.

”It’s better this way,” Chloe declares. Marinette turned to her, surprised. “He would have wound you up around his pinky finger and played you for a fool. You’re much too nice to be victimized like that, mon cheri. Ooh, just the thought that he could have makes me furious!” Marinette watched, slightly concerned, as Chloe began to stuff her makeup into her purse and angrily stand. “I won’t stand for it!” Huh. Ironic.

”Chloe?”

”I will show him not to mess with you nor me. Come on!” Before she could stop her, Marinette’s hurricane friend had already stormed halfway down the hall, each stomp filled with purpose and vengeance. It scared Marinette a little, she wasn’t going to lie, and she could do nothing but rush to keep up with the raging blonde.

”Chloe, you shouldn’t start anything--” They entered a classroom, where only a few students in the back are seated. Chloe’s emotional entrance attracted a few curious eyes, though some look away after a bit, used to her temper tantrums. Chloe stomped up to the second row of desks, took her gum, and slammed it on the seat. At this point, Marinette was completely and utterly horrified.

”That’ll teach him,” she harrumphed, sliding onto the front row seats of the opposite column of desks. Chloe patted the space beside her, wordlessly asking Marinette to sit beside as if she hadn’t just put gum on what she assumed was Adrien’s seat.

”Ch-Chloe! What are you doing!”

”It’s payback for his rudeness,” the Bourgeois heiress justified. Marinette felt the Ladybug within her stir, and her frowned at her childhood friend.

”Revenge and dirty tricks like this won’t get you anywhere,” Marinette reprimanded. Chloe looked at her, surprised, but her scowl returned and she folded her arms in contempt. Marinette crouched next to the seat, trying to remove the gum. “Ick!”

 

 

After Alya and Adrien placed their coats and scarves into their lockers and collected their books, the headed straight to class so they could settle before the bell rang (as usual). Adrien was babbling that since Marinette was with Chloe, she might be sitting in in their classroom. The thought sent butterflies fluttering in the fields in his stomach. He slowed a little as they neared the classroom, hesitant, while Alya strode on with no more but a fleeting look. Was his hair okay? Did he have crumbs on his face? Did he have anything stuck to his teeth? Was he presentable? A sharp gasp caught his immediate attention, and he looked up at the source. “Alya?” he half-jogged towards the brunette, who was in the classroom by then. He followed her gaze, and was completely stunned into silence.

Crouched over his seat was a familiar head of dark hair. His gaze darted at her, then at the gum on his seat. He didn’t want to believe what his eyes and his brain were spelling out from him, but he was seeing it with his very eyes. He could almost hear a piece of his heart as it fell and shattered on the classroom floor. His hand darted out, blocking Alya’s path just as she was about to charge. Adrien shook his head at her, then trained his green gaze on his target. “Hey!” he exclaimed, storming in and startling the half-asian girl. Seconds ago, he might have felt bad, but he couldn’t feel anything else but disbelief, disappointment, and irritation. He balled his fists, glaring down at her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

”What, I-- I was,” she stuttered, a deer in the headlights, caught red-handed in the middle of her crime. “I was taking the gum off--” Adrien wasn’t having any of it. He was so confident, so sure of the faith he had placed on her. She looked up at him with her wide blue eyes, the same blue eyes that had made him an incoherent mess, and her beauty just poured salt into the wound. He had thought she was sweet, had thought the occasional mirth in her eyes was endearing, had thought her slightly mischievous smile was enough to melt him into a puddle. He could feel Plagg stir in his pocket, probably alerted by his growing agitation.

”Look,” he interjected harshly, and stifled the guilt when the girl flinched back. “I get it. You and Chloe are buddy buddy. Good job, har har.”

”No, no,” Marinette tried again, but Adrien only angered further. “I was only trying to take it off.” And now she was feeding him lies. Alya was right. Underneath that innocent facade was a snake just like Chloe. Adrien scowled at her, his disappointment in her fusing with the sadness he was beginning to feel.

”Really?” He pushed past the girl and dug into his bag for the napkin he packed with his lunch, laying it over the gum. Avoiding further contact with her, Adrien took his seat, ignoring Marinette’s presence beside him. She stood there for a second longer than he liked, but she heard her sigh, walking down and across to settle in her seat next to Chloe, who was sending him daggers with her eyes. In front of him, Alya turned and rested a hand on his forearm, shaking her head. He was glad she didn’t say “I told you so,” but the words hung over him like a storm cloud, already raining on his day.

As if nothing happened-- as if his heart hadn’t cracked and broken a little-- the morning continued on. A few of his other classmates filed into the classroom with minutes before the bell. Sabrina (who had missed a week of school prior due to the flu) settled beside Alya and introduced herself. Nino dropped next to Adrien, pulling down his headphones and letting them rest around his neck. “Dude, what’s up?” he asked. Adrien resisted the urge to look towards his right, resisted the urge to strain his ears and listen to the whispered words, and shugged his shoulders. Adrien ran his hand through his side-swept bangs, messing them up and letting them fall onto his face. With a lopsided smile, he replied:

”Nothin’ much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's bangs doe  
> SYMBOLISM
> 
> I know this chapter took longer, and if you follow my MLB Tumblr, you'd know it was because I hit a block and I fell into a mental hole I couldn't climb out of. I wanna thank everyone for their patience, and I want to especially thank 808lionfire (my friendly not-so-anon anon) and quietworkings for motivating me.  
> Again, if you guys frequent Tumblr and want updates or whatnot --> marinot-adreally.tumblr.com
> 
> Now.... //DODGES KNIVES AND BULLETS//  
> Hey, it's been fluff the past 11 chapters, what did you guys expect? BAHAHAHA
> 
> (I'm putting a few things into motion, laying down some foundations for story components that will pop out later on and hhhhhhh guys I'm hyped)
> 
> FOR NOW, HAVE SOME MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND FRUSTRATION AND SADNESS <3  
> yay au gum incident


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which the author decides that maybe this thing needs some kind of plot somewhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Topsy Turvy readers, it's been a long time. How yall been? Still MLB trash? Good, good.
> 
> Fair warning, this chapter is shorter than usual and also... I don't know, kind of sucky. I had to get the ball rolling somehow.

The rest of the day did not seem like it was going to look up for Marinette, and it was only the beginning of her first week--her first _day_ \--at school. She tried to regain her enthusiasm and stay positive. Maybe she’ll get to talk to her other classmates later; maybe she can catch Adrien later and sort out the misunderstanding. She side-glanced at the blond boy, who had his head down on the table and facing away from her. She still did not want to believe that Adrien was all that bad… Heck, maybe even he and Chloe got off on the wrong foot. However, she was sore about him being so quick to judge her and not hearing her out on the whole gum incident. She was upset that he and her best friend acted like each other’s mortal enemies. And though she did not want to admit it, she was still slightly sad about the fact that he never sent a text.

”Mme Agreste, I know it’s your first day and this is all new to you,” their teacher said, making Marinette jump and whip her head towards the front. Mme Bustier smiled kindly at her. “But please try to pay attention to the lesson.”

Marinette gathered her wits and smiled. “Yes, sorry about that, Mademoiselle.” The older woman nodded in satisfaction and opened her mouth to continue her lesson, when someone else caught her eye.

”Yes, Mr. Dupain?”

”May I use the washroom, Mademoiselle?”

”Alright, hurry along.” With permission received, Marinette watched Adrien get up in her peripheral. He treaded down the step lazily, as if in a daze. Marinette saw that her backpack had fallen across the step just a second too late. She reached down to fix it, but Adrien’s foot caught on it and sent him stumbling down the steps and into the teacher’s desk.

”Eep,” she squeaked, frozen. Giggles erupted from beside and behind her, and she flinched as Adrien turned his head and sent her a glare, his eyes moving between her wide eyes and her outstretched hand. Marinette fumbled a little, straightening in her seat. With a huff, Adrien stormed out of the classroom, ignoring a couple of students behind her snickering at his little trip. _Way to go, Marinette,_ she thought, dragging a hand down her face.

”Nice,” snickered Chloe, patting her shoulder in misplaced pride. Marinette couldn’t bring herself to say anything back, burying her face in her hands. “He totally deserved that, Marinette.”

”No, he didn’t,” Marinette groaned, keeping her voice down as to not attract too much attention from Mme Bustier. She peeked out a little from her palms to look at Chloe, who looked as if she didn’t hear what she had said at all. Marinette fully faced the blonde girl, pursing her lips. “He thinks I tripped him, and that I put that gum on his seat. I need to clear up those misunderstandings.”

”What’s the point?” Chloe said mid-yawn. “Even if you did do those things, there’s no need to justify yourself to some low-life.”

Marinette tried not to get agitated, but her blue eyes narrowed at her friend. “Even so, nothing good comes out of misunderstandings.”

”Nothing good comes out of interacting any further with that intolerable piece of dust.”

Marinette looked at Chloe incredulously. Rarely did they clash like this, but when they did, the model absolutely hated it. Both of them were equally stubborn, and neither would back down from their opinions. On small, irrelevant things like colour choices and places to hang, Marinette let Chloe get free reign. But on something so major such as morals and beliefs… Neither of them stood down, indeed, but that didn’t mean she was going to back off. It was for Chloe’s own good, she justified. A fire within her blazing to life to combat Chloe’s ferocity, Marinette turned to Chloe and scowled. “Stop treating everyone like dirt, Chloe,” she said heatedly, voice trembling and a little louder than she had intended. Most of the eyes in class turned to her in shock. “Or you’re not any better!”

”Mme Agreste!” admonished Mme Bustier, clearly displeased at the interruption. “Is there something you want to share with the class?”

Marinette turned her attention to their teacher. She could feel her fists trembling on her lap and her lower lip quivering. A slight pressure on her side told her Tikki was trying to tell her “I’m here,” but it couldn’t placate her frustration. “No, Mademoiselle,” she said shakily. She couldn’t make any more of a scene than she already had. She didn’t want her father to hear about this. “I’m very sorry for the interruption.”

”I’d hope so. If you and Mme Bourgeois can’t sit together without making a fuss, please switch seats with Mme RainComprix.”

Marinette followed the instructor’s gesture and met the sea-green gaze of a girl with medium length orange hair. _Good going, Marinette. You had to drag another person into it._ “Yes, Mademoiselle,” the model said meekly, picking up her belongings and moving to switch seats with the other girl. She whispered a quick apology as they crossed paths, and the girl only shook her head and sent her a shy smile. Marinette settled on her new seat, casting a side-glance at the Bourgeois heir, but she was fully ignoring her. Marinette sighed.

”...I’m impressed,” the girl beside her muttered as Mme Bustier returned to her work. “Only a select few stand up to the devil like that.”

Marinette turned to the brunette in surprise. “Oh,” she said quietly, “Chloe’s… she’s really not that bad. She can’t help it; that’s how she was brought up.”

”I don’t buy it,” replied the other teen, rolling her pretty amber eyes. She moved her hair off her shoulders casually, and Marinette couldn’t help but admire her full ombre locks. “There’s choice integrated in how you treat people, and a certain self-awareness involved. She may not be fully responsible for her attitude, but she definitely isn’t doing anything about it.”

Marinette sighed, perhaps for the fifth time. “I suppose it’s hard for people to accept, which is why I can’t just leave her… She can’t go about like this forever. I worry. Sometimes, I just wish she was a little less…”

”Of a bitch?”

Marinette shook her head, giving the brunette a pained smile. “...intolerable.”

With a funny quirk of the lip, the beautifully tanned teen held out her hand to her, surprising Marinette. “I might have misjudged you,” she said, “the name’s Alya. Alya Cesaire.”

”Ma.. Marinette.” Marinette’s blue eyes brightened as she stared at Alya’s almost-playful smile, most of her frustration forgotten in that very moment. The half-Asian took her hand gingerly, giving it a little shake. “Marinette Agreste.”

At least, amongst all her misfortunes so far, she had made a new friend.

 

 

Adrien wiped his face off with some napkins, turned the valve on the sink with them, and chucked the slightly damp papers into the waste bin. He looked up into the mirror, scrutinizing his face a little. The corner of his lips were turned down in a frown, and his hair wasn’t as fluffed and up. With a sigh, he rubbed his temples, crossing the length of the washroom and sitting on the conveniently-placed plush chair by the wall. “I don’t know if I can take much more of this morning, let alone this entire day.”

”You can always skip the rest of the day and laze about at home,” replied the kwami from the confines of his blazer, not even bothering to flit out. _Lazy cat_. Adrien fully contemplated the offer, wanting nothing more but to go home and wallow in his room like some edgy, dark prepubescent boy, but if did, he knew Alya and Nino would hound him later on for an explanation. It wasn’t worth the effort. Besides, they had another detention date later that day.

”Tempting, but no,” Adrien huffed. “If I can face evillized civilians, I can face a couple of disappointments.” He looked down, green eyes meeting green eyes. Plagg regarded him seriously for a moment, his silence making Adrien a bit restless. “What?”

”Just take it easy, kid,” the god said after a moment, turning in his position and curling up once more. “I get agitated when you get all riled up like that.”

”Aw, Plagg,” grinned Adrien while he stood up and exited the washroom, making his way back to class. “Is that concern I hear from you?”

”More like a warning,” Plagg yawned. “You don’t wanna rile up the embodiment of destruction, y’know?” Adrien rolled his eyes.

”I reckon I’ll need bucket loads of cheese on standby to calm you down.”

”That might help.”

The blond scoffed, amused, but didn’t reply. Adrien didn’t feel much better, unfortunately, and reaching the classroom made him feel worse. He didn’t want to go back in, but he had no choice. He just had to suck it up and wait for lunch. _It won’t be long now anyway._

When he walked back into the room for the final few moments of class, Adrien was surprised to find that the first face he saw was _hers_. He felt his traitorous heart skip a beat when she turned to him. Adrien promptly looked away from her, focusing on the floor as he made his way back to his seat. He scowled and walked past the first row, vaguely aware of the daggers Chloe was sending his way. It triggered him, and he had to bite his cheek to keep himself from saying anything. Seriously, can’t they give him a break?

”Now, before you all leave for lunch, I have to give you some handouts but, oh, I forgot to print them.” Mme Bustier looked through the sheets of paper on her desk, grabbing a few and making her way out the class. “Give me ten minutes, class. Behave.”

Adrien huffed, playing with the spike of hair hanging over his forehead and staring out the window. His classmates around him had started to chatter, save for a few: Chloe was on a call and whining to her dad, not surprisingly. Marinette looked to be texting, Sabrina’s nose was in a book, and Nathanael was writing as usual. Adrien tried to block out conversations around him anyway, regretting his decision against humouring Plagg and skipping the rest of class. Adrien shut his eyes.

”I can beat you ‘round the block with my eyes closed, Kim!”

”Yeah? Is that a challenge?”

”Well, if we calculate Alix’s normal maximum speed and--”

”Shut up, Max.”

”Oh, Mylene, that’s so nice!”

”Thank you, Rose…”

”Hey, Nate, whatcha doin’?”

” …! Um…”

”I’m sorry, Daddy, it’s just his mere presence makes the entire place reek!”

Adrien’s lips drew into a line. _Don’t listen to that voice. Listen to anyone else. Listen to Alya and Nino._

”Ugh, I know, I get that. I’d never go to that low-class bakery--” Adrien’s eyes opened, seeing red.

”Kid, deep breaths,” Plagg whispered from his blazer, but Adrien had already stood up and stomped towards Chloe’s table.

”You,” he spat venomously, “you’ve been a pain in my neck since the moment we met and I’ve taken it in stride but I’m _warning_ you, Chloe Bourgeois…” He felt his fury surge through his entire body, and for a moment, a wisp of black trailed from his shaking fists. “If you ever talk shit about my home-- my _family_ \-- again…”

Everyone stared at Adrien-- happy-go-lucky, charming, dorky Adrien-- and regarded him in unease. Adrien’s poison green eyes bared down at Chloe, his final words coming out in an uncharacteristic hiss.

”I’ll _end_ you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's happening ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> recap: adrien just threatened chloe because chloe was being a mean girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey.... how yall been? /sweats

Adrien hovered over the blonde menacingly and with such animosity in his eyes that Marinette’s gut instinct was to immediately jump into action. She stood up, the same time Alya did, but the bespectacled boy behind Alya got to the blond first. The tanned boy was quick, moving off of his seat, down the steps, and wedging himself between Adrien and Chloe’s desk in a few seconds. “Hey, man,” he said, “death threats aren’t cool no matter how much of a bitch the person it’s directed to.”

”She insulted my _family_ ,” Adrien hissed, moving aside a little to continue glowering down at Chloe. Chloe, who was initially taken aback, gathered herself and glared right back, phone forgotten in her hand.

”Would you two move away? The area’s starting to sour.”

Adrien’s lip pulled back in a snarl, and Nino kissed his teeth, ignoring the girl behind him. ”I get it, Adrien, but she’s done that before.” The boy placed his hands on the furious blond’s shoulders, steering him away from Chloe and towards the door. “C’mon, you need some serious food therapy. I think you’re just hangry.”

”Nino--” Adrien tried again, glare never leaving Chloe, but the rest of what he said went unheard as the two boys exited the classroom. Silence remained after their departure. Alya muttered incoherently, sinking onto her seat and typing on her tablet. Marinette, still standing, gaped at Chloe from across the room. She wanted to go over to her friend, but she wasn’t sure what she would say. On one hand, Marinette wanted to check up on her. She had never seen Chloe visibly shaken up like that. On the other hand, she wanted to reprimand her again, for acting out in a situation where she shouldn’t have, and insulting someone else’s family. In her hesitation, Chloe caught her staring. The Bourgeois heiress held her gaze for a moment, before scoffing and reaching down to grab her purse. She stood up and swept across the room, passing Marinette without another glance, and disappearing out the door.

”You gotta do what you gotta do, I guess,” Alya said, earning Marinette’s attention. Marinette turned to her, conflicted, confused.

”Sorry… What?” Marinette asked meekly, brows furrowed.

”I’m staying to inform Bustier than Adrien and Nino went to the infirmary. I can let her know you went to help Chloe because of another tantrum. Trust me, she’ll understand.”

Marinette had to wonder if “another tantrum” meant this was a common occurrence for her childhood friend. Nonetheless, she understood what Alya was trying to say. Nodding, Marinette gathered her things. “Thank you,” she said.

”Yeah, no problem. And don’t worry, the drama will pass,” the brunette grinned reassuringly. “Usually we get more akuma attacks, which are far more exciting!”

”Right…” Marinette smiled sheepishly, making her way out the door with a wave. “See you later, Alya.”

 

 

 **SPLASH!**  Adrien coughed, sputtering and shaking water from his hair. “What the hell was that for!” Nino turned the valves on the sink, shutting off the water and shaking off the excess water from his hands. Adrien seethed a little, wiping water from his face.

”You calmer now?”

”More like wetter…”

”Dude, you completely snapped on Chloe. Like, completely. That was so unlike you,” Nino expressed with a raise of his brows. He crossed his arms, leaning on the washroom’s white walls. Adrien sulked a little, water dripping from his hair, and made his way to the chair at the far end of the washroom. He sat down, removing his blazer (after making sure Plagg had transferred under his shirt discreetly) and used it as a towel.

”I know… Damn,” he sighed, rubbing his face. “I don’t know what came over me. It’s like a blacked out for a second. I just really wanted to straight-up punch her stupid little--”

”But you’d never,” interrupted Nino. It was a statement, but the way he looked at Adrien insisted it needed his confirmation. Adrien looked at him incredulously for a second, but deflated in defeat.

”I’d never,” he confirmed. He put his make-shift towel around his neck, leaning his elbows on his knees, eyes downcast. He felt guilty all of a sudden, for acting out like that in front of his entire class. He wondered what they thought of him now… someone with a terrible temper perhaps? He did act pretty scary back there. “She just… She really pushed my buttons today.”

”Scary how good she’s gotten at that,” Nino affirmed, uncrossing his arms and crossing the room to lean against the wall beside Adrien. The bespectacled boy stood quietly beside the blond, before Adrien felt him put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Something bugging you, dude?” he asked quietly. “I thought you were immune to Chloe Bourgeois at this point.”

“I thought so too, NIno,” Adrien huffed, becoming silent. He debated for a second, then opened his mouth to speak once more. “Truth is: I’m a little rattled. It’s the girl that was moved next to Alya… She’s Marinette.”

”Huh, I thought I knew her from somewhere.”

”Yeah, well, I saw her putting gum on my seat this morning,” explained Adrien, troubled. “Then she tripped me during class.”

”An applaudable stumble.”

”You’re not helping.”

Please do continue.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Right. I was just pretty darn sure she was an angel and was ready to buy a ring to propose, but it turns out she’s an evil little snake.”

”Really? She doesn’t seem like the type.”

”That’s what I thought, too,” groaned Adrien, burying his face in his hands. “I’ve been thrown off since this morning. Ugh…” Nino stayed quiet beside him, and for a few moments, Adrien was left to his own depressing thoughts. As usual, he ended up cursing his bad luck. He often wondered what it would be like had he received the Ladybug miraculous instead, but he’d never want to with his predicament on his Lady. He did wonder how lucky she was though, if he had it this bad with misfortune.

”You know, dude, I’ve known you since elementary,” Nino started. “And in all those years that I have known you, I’ve realized one thing.”

”Yeah?” Adrien sat up, turning to Nino, who was looking down at him with a lopsided “Oh, dude” grin. He usually didn’t like hearing whatever it was Nino said when he grinned like that, mostly because Nino was usually right.

”You jump to conclusions.”

”Excuse me?”

”You heard me,” chortled his best friend, rolling his eyes slightly. “You thought neither I nor Kim could speak English.”

”Er, that was pretty bad,” Adrien rubbed his neck, recalling how he tried to speak to his now-best-friend in broken English. “Sorry.”

”It’s fine, dude, we were, like, eight,” Nino laughed. “What I’m saying is: you’re quick to misunderstand.”

”I know what I saw,” the blond defended.

”You ‘fell in love’ with her,” Nino said, with air quotation marks, “the second you saw her? You thought she was an angel? Dude, you gotta get to know the girl first. Did you even actually see her put the gum on your chair?”

Adrien thought, pursing his lip and regret beginning to weigh down on him as he tried to recall that morning. “...No, not exactly…” Nino quirked his brow, brown eyes half-lidded as he stared him down. Remorse rained on Adrien as he started to recall the handful of interactions he’s had with Marinette so far, and he knew Nino was right. “Ugh!” he groaned loudly, “I’ve been an idiot!”

”Uh-huh,” Nino validated, patting his back.

”I was stuttering in front of her like some love-struck fool!”

”Which you were, yes. Keep going.”

”I yelled at her this morning for something Chloe probably did and I didn’t hear her out!”

”You didn’t? Damn, rude.”

”I threatened the only person she knows in this school!” Adrien facepalmed. He might as well give up! Voicing it out now, he realized he had been a tool and a jerk. “Oh my god, I’ve got to apologize.”

”Then let’s get you to it, my dude,” Nino said, giving him one rough pat and pushing himself off of the wall. Nino made his way to the bathroom exit, grinning back at Adrien. “Alya’s got our stuff, so we better hurry up.”

Adrien looked at Nino, a friend that’s been with him through the years and through thick and thin, and felt ever so grateful he had the boy in his life. Honestly, he didn’t know where he would have ended up without Nino pushing him to get his act together. He smiled at Nino, fondly, and Nino made a face.

”Uh, Adrien, you comin’ or what?”

”Right,” the blond said, pushing himself off of the chair. He grinned, sweeping his damp bangs to the side. “I’m coming.”

 

 

Chloe fumed on a bench in the school’s courtyard, mentally debating if she should call her chauffeur and cut the rest of the school day. She didn’t really give two damns, she was ahead in her studies anyway. Her arms were crossed and she stared angrily at the school’s entrance as if it was the reason for her rotten morning. Chloe huffed, scowling at the blue sky outside. Why did it look so nice? It’s autumn, damn it. Everything was dying.

”Chloe?”

Chloe almost turned, but her pride did not let her. She ignored the soft, familiar voice, turning her nose further to emphasize her displeasure. Chloe felt a presence settle itself beside her, and Chloe scooted further away.

”Chloe, are you alright?”

”What do you care?”

”You’re my best friend.”

Chloe sniffed, not replying. Marinette continued beside her, unfazed.

”And the boy-- Adrien-- he was a little scary, wasn’t he? I got really worried…”

”He wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me,” scoffed Chloe. “He doesn’t have the guts to.”

”Well, that’s kind of reassuring,” Chloe heard her say. There was a pause. “You know, you shouldn’t have spoken so ill of his home like that.” There it was, and Chloe bristled, still refusing to meet her eye.

”Did you just come here to defend him, Agreste?”

”You know why I came, Chloe,” said Marinette softly, and Chloe did. Even if Marinette was still sore about their argument earlier, she was a softie that needed to check on Chloe. When they were little and had a fight over a toy, Marinette was always the one to make peace and share. To others it might have looked like submission, but Chloe knew otherwise. It infuriated her sometimes, and made her envious… the way Marinette took the high road-- the way Marinette was strong.

”...I didn’t even say anything too awful, gods, I was just saying I wouldn’t go to that stupid--”

”Chloe, it’s best not to talk about other people’s business… You and I both know how unpleasant it is, when others talk about our families…”

There was a noticeable change in Marinette’s voice, a change she was very familiar with, and Chloe instinctively turned to her. Sure enough, Marinette’s eyes were downcast, shoulders slumped, arms crossed at the wrists and hands clutching her skirt. Chloe hated admitting she was wrong, even if she was well aware she was wrong. She hated having to apologize after a fight, even if she knew Marinette deserved an apology. But the one thing she hated the most was that Marinette, her best friend who was full of _goodness_ had to feel such… had to experience…!

Chloe grit her teeth, inhaled a large gulp of air, and breathed out all the spite and animosity that had accumulated over the course of the day. She took another small breath, opening her mouth. “...I liked yellow better.”

”Huh?” Marinette looked up at her, eyes clearly a little watery. Chloe scowled.

”Your nails,” she clarified.

”Oh,” Marinette said dumbly, probably confounded at the sudden change of topic… as if she wasn’t used to this. Chloe crossed her arms.

”It’s fine though,” she said, eyes narrowing at the rose gold polish on the blackette’s fingernails. “I’ll forgive you.”

”Oh?” Marinette smiled, and Chloe tried not to sulk. Marinette knew she was cracking.

”Yeah, if I can commission you and you let me design.” Marinette’s expression changed from amused to doubtful.

”You know Father doesn’t support my interest in designing.”

”Oh poo, that old fart is too uptight, and I don’t care. I just want you to make something I designed, and I want to wear it by tomorrow.”

”But Chloe,” Marinette started, “depending on what it is, it might take longer than a day to make…”

”Not if I’m there to help you,” Chloe scoffed, “but I want it tomorrow so we better get working.”

“Are you implying a sleepover?” Marinette grinned, catching wind. Chloe stared for a moment, then turned away.

”Whatever. C’mon, call your chauffeur and let’s ditch this dump. You can have a half-day since it’s your first, and I need to get my pajamas from my place.”

Marinette laughed softly, and Chloe threw her purse over her shoulder and sauntered towards the school entrance she had been glaring at just minutes before. She didn’t have to turn around to know Marinette was behind her. She knew Marinette always had her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit longer than usual because I haven't updated this in quite some time, so.  
> I lost motivation because of school, but I'm trying to work against that.
> 
> Missed my trashy fandom friends 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> friendship goodies and friendship not so goodies

To: Father

From: m.agreste@gmail.com

Subject: Hello

Good evening, Father.

I’m sending an email as Natalie had informed me you are deep in work and do not wish to be disturbed. I am sending this message to notify you that Chloe is sleeping over tonight.

School went smoothly today. Thank you for letting me go.

Sincerely,

Marinette

Marinette looked over her email for the fourth time, nibbling on her thumb’s nail as she fretted over her wording. Was she proper enough? Was it direct and brief and straight to the point, the way her father liked it? Was she sure there were no spelling and-or grammar mistakes that she may have overlooked due to lack of knowledge?

”Marinette, are you gonna make me a jacket or what?” Chloe asked as she made her way to Marinette’s chaise, rubbing her wet hair with one of Marinette’s pastel purple towels. She settled on the seat, making sure to move a single piece of paper and a bright yellow pencil from her way before she did. “What are you doing?”

”I’m sending a message to Father,” she replied, “and I’m making sure it’s just right.”

Chloe deadpanned behind her, bare foot tapping impatiently on the fluffy pink rug beneath the chaise. “Cheri,” she tried again. “It’s not a business letter. Press send and let’s get started. We don’t have all night, since you and I both need our beauty sleep.”

Marinette contemplated the truth in Chloe’s words. If she slept late, she’s certainly get bags under her eyes, and both her father and Natalie will most likely be displeased and blame it on school. A little reluctantly, Marinette sent the email and grabbed the measuring tape and note pad beside her, padding towards her blonde friend. “I have to warn you, I’m not that great at this, so your jacket might turn out a little different than ideal.”

”I doubt that,” Chloe replied, getting up and and spreading her arms. Marinette began taking her measurements, jotting down numbers every few seconds. The blackette’s eyes flitted briefly to the piece of paper, left on her chaise with Chloe’s bright yellow pencil. “What?” Chloe asked.

”I’m a little surprised at your jacket choice. I thought you’d go for a blazer, actually,” admitted Marinette, looking over Chloe’s doodle on the page. Since Chloe usually wore a cardigan to school (or so she said), she presumed that the blonde would go for a similar style. However, Chloe had doodled a varsity jacket, with a bold, black “B” in front.

”It’s cute,” defended Chloe.

”And you want it to be mostly yellow,” added Marinette, to which Chloe smiled a little. She didn’t really need to ask-- if Marinette was all about pink, Chloe was all about yellow. “Okay, come up,” said Marinette, taking her notes and measuring tape and heading up her loft, “and pick your fabrics. I’ll start with the patterns.”

Chloe followed after her, her damp hair loose down her back and making wet stains on her night dress. She trailed after a slightly-bouncing Marinette, eyes taking in her wall of fabric rolls. Chloe began to look through them, feeling some of the fabrics between her fingers. “You’re saying you dad doesn’t support your designing?”

”I brought it up to him, once.” Marinette was standing near her book shelf, looking through her books and searching for patterns for Chloe’s varsity jacket. “He… completely disregarded my interest. I told him I wanted to sew, but I think father wants me to stay in modelling until I’m old enough to take over the company.”

”Did you tell him specifically that you want to design?” Chloe picked her rolls, bringing them over to Marinette and placing them next to her.

”I think so. I never brought it up again afterwards.” Marinette turned to Chloe and watched as the blonde’s icy blue eyes narrowed considerably at her. She smiled at her glowering friend, shrinking a little. “Yes?”

”Marinette Agreste,” Chloe started, hands on her hips and looking like a woman scorned. “You did not just drop the topic with your dad, who might have misunderstood.” Marinette looked at her, not comprehending, confused smile still in place.

”What?”

”What if your dad didn’t know you meant you were interested in _designing_? What if he thought you wanted to lower yourself to only becoming a seamstress working under some other designer behind the scenes?” Marinette raised her brows, about to say that there was nothing wrong with wanting to be just a seamstress, but Chloe would not let her open her mouth. “Marinette,” Chloe said, exasperated. “You won’t get anywhere if you keep _settling_.”

Marinette paused from her ministrations and stopped to stare at the blonde incredulously. “Chloe,” she half-gasped, “I’m not settling! I have everything I could ever need.” Chloe scoffed in response.

”Sometimes necessities are not enough, Marinette. You’ve got to want things. School was a good step, for example.” Chloe walked over to her, temporarily forgetting their project. She stood in front of the half-Asian teen, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed. “Didn’t it feel good to get what you wanted?”

”Well, yes,” replied Marinette, leaning back a little as Chloe was leaning into her to make a point. Though she was fairly immune to it, it was all about intimidation for Chloe Bourgeois.

”Now, do you want to pursue designing or not?”

”I mean,” she fumbled, side-eyeing her fabric rolls, her sewing machine, her body form, and all of her tools. “Of course that would be amazing, but I don’t know if--”

”No buts.” Chloe stepped away, content with Marinette’s admission. She leaned on Marinette’s work table, scrutinizing her nails. “Besides, even if you really are as ‘not great’ as you think you are, you can get big real quick, Cheri. You already have the name for it.”

Marinette knew that, of course. Fashion was practically in her genes, being an Agreste. Even her cousin Bridgette’s family worked in the fashion industry in China. “But I don’t want a fast way up,” she voiced out her thoughts. “To be honest, if I do become a designer, I don’t want to jump the ranks because I’m father’s daughter… I want to get there because of my own designs.”

”Then do that,” Chloe quipped. “I’m just saying you’ve got a pretty good fallback, Marinette.”

”Haha… I suppose you aren’t wrong.”

”So, how much am I paying for this commission?” Chloe’s lips split into a sly smile. “I’m getting an early prototype from an upcoming world-renowned designer. It’ll cost me an arm and a leg and daddy’s franchise for sure.”

Marinette giggled. “Chloe, don’t worry about it. I think making up with you was enough payment.”

”You’re doing it again.”

”Doing what?”

”Settling.”

”. . . Chloe, I’m really not.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, getting off from her perch on Marinette’s work table and returning to her chosen fabric rolls. “Marinette, you really are. Now tell me how much you want, or even what you want me to get you. You know I’m not taking no for an answer.” Chloe flipped her damp wavy tresses over her shoulder. “I’m a Bourgeois; I can afford whatever you throw at me.”

Marinette sighed, though smiling slightly, having first-hand experience of Chloe’s stubborn nature. Her gaze flitted to her window, staring emptily at the light filtering from outside as she tried to think of a reasonable price. Struck with the _perfect_ idea, Marinette’s eyes filled with mirth. “Pastries,” she declared.

”Are you even allowed to have sweets?”

”Occasionally,” Marinette replied nonchalantly, a smirk playing on her lips. “In secret,” she added after a pause.

”Pff, finally rebelling, are you?”

”But not just any pastries.”

”Oh?”

Marinette full-on grinned. “I want the eclairs from the Dupain Patissiere.”

Chloe blinked owlishly at her, her face slowly, slowly contorting into a scowl. “You did not.” Marinette merely shrugged, grin not leaving her face any time soon. Chloe crossed her arms. “I’m never giving you a pep talk again.”

 

 

”Thank you, M. Gerard,” smiled Marinette as she got out of the vehicle after Chloe. Her chauffeur grunted in response, shutting the door behind them and waiting until both girls were safely in the school before he re-entered the car and drove off. Marinette couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face. She studied the jacket’s fit on her best friend’s form as the blonde sauntered a few paces in front of her, her cursive on full display on Chloe’s back. “Queen Bee.” It suited Chloe perfectly.

”Hello? Earth to Marinette Agreste?” Chloe called, turning slightly to look at her, lips pursed. “What’re you ogling at?”

”You, Chloe,” Marinette replied in a heartbeat, missing the way Chloe’s face colored. “The jacket looks… good. I’m… pleasantly surprised!”

”Please, it looks amazing. You made it, and it’s on me.” Chloe flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, continuing on her way into the school. Giggling softly, Marinette rushed after her. Today she was going to get her own locker! As they made their way towards the locker room, there was a sound of rushed footsteps coming towards the pair. Stopping, both of them turned around, Chloe’s face contorting into a scowl and Marinette’s expression becoming rather guarded. Adrien stood before them, hair windswept and a little messy, eyes trained on the smaller half-Asian girl.

”Hey, Marinette. Where’d you go yesterday?” He asked. Marinette blinked up at him, confused. Why did he care all of a sudden? Why was he talking to her? He was clearly showing signs of deep dislike throughout yesterday, after the _gum incident._ Adrien blinked back, coughing awkwardly and clarifying, “Er, because you weren’t in class after lunch.”

”Oh,” she said quietly. She didn’t understand, and unconsciously took a half-step backwards. Marinette averted her gaze. “I went home early.” She did not see the flash of uncertainty on Adrien’s visage. Chloe took a step forward, hands on her hips and icy eyes piercing.

”It’s none of your business anyway, Dupain. Back off.”

”Whoa, whoa, calm down, Ice Queen,” a new voice interrupted. The tanned boy from yesterday, the one that beat Marinette in breaking up the fight between Chloe and Adrien, walked up to the trio. “Adrien actually has something to say, is all.” His gaze turned to Marinette, and something about his carefree smile made her feel somewhat more at ease. “Hi, I’m Nino, by the way. Nino Lahiffe.” Marinette managed a smile.

”Marinette,” she said, with a slight nod of her head in greeting.

”Marinette doesn’t have to listen to you two,” snapped Chloe, crossing her arms.

”That’s not your choice to make, Sassy.” Alya joined the small group now, coat still on and clearly having just arrived at school. She gave Marinette a bright smile. “Hey girl. How you doing?”

”Hi, Alya,” Marinette greeted, plastering on a smile and ignoring the dramatic hurt look Chloe threw her way. Despite Nino’s laidback personality and Alya’s friendliness, there was a thick tension in the air that was making her quite uncomfortable. Chloe was emitting irritation in almost-tangible waves, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at the blond boy standing between Nino and Alya. Honestly, she’d much rather turn tail and go about her day. She didn’t want to have another rough day at school.

”Actually, Marinette,” Alya began, her tone serious. It brought Marinette’s attention to her immediately. “Before anything else, I want to apologize. Adrien was a dick--”

”Um, hold on, I thought I--”

”--and I had a hand in it,” the bespectacled girl confessed. “I misjudged you because I found out you’re associated to…” Her amber eyes flitted to Chloe, whose eyebrows rose sharply.

”Wow, what a surprise,” Chloe drawled sarcastically. Alya’s eyes narrowed a little, and Marinette elbowed Chloe slightly, earning an indignant “what?”

”Anyways,” continued Alya, “I started feeding Adrien ideas about how you could be as… insufferable--”

”Excuse me?”

”--as your friend, and it might have put some prejudice into the back of his mind and made him act as rash as he did. And I’m sorry for that.”

Marinette stared at Alya for a moment, who looked genuinely regretful of her actions. This was the girl that helped her out yesterday, and now knowing that she had her own reservations about her, she was happy to realize that Alya had helped her anyway. She was a good person, Marinette decided. Perhaps sometimes irrational, but a good person. “It’s alright,” she found herself saying. Alya perked up, color brightening in her beautiful hazel eyes. “Thank you for helping me out yesterday.”

”Anytime, Marinette,” replied Alya cheerily. Behind her, Nino was not-so-subtly elbowing Adrien, and when the blond stepped up, Marinette felt her defenses go up again. Chloe opened her mouth to say something, but Marinette caught her eye and shook her head. If he had something to say, it was better to say it.

”I.. Wanted to talk to you after school yesterday,” the boy began, rubbing his neck. Marinette wondered if it was a subconscious way to sooth himself. “But, er.”

”We had detention.”

”...I was gonna say she wasn’t in school anymore anyway.” The green-eyed boy sent Nino a sharp look, though Nino just shrugged in response. Adrien returned his attention to Marinette, though neither of them could keep eye-contact. Marinette resisted the urge to shift her weight between her legs, standing with a neutral expression and waiting for Adrien to finish. “Er, about the gum. I might have… I mean, I _did_ , uh, misunderstand. And I’m sorry. I realized yesterday that it must have just been a bout of bad luck, that’s all.”

Marinette looked at him for a moment longer, waiting, but there was no mention of the phone number, and no sign that he had anything else to say. Marinette felt a twinge in her chest but ignored it. Years of practice had trained her for situations like these, in which most things were unfavourable but she had to plow through it. Without further ado, Marinette smiled at him-- a smile she used on the crowds and on the cameras and, sometimes, on her father. “It’s okay, Adrien,” she said, voice even-- practiced. She turned slightly, pretending to look concerned. “We should go, though. Class is starting soon, and we still have to get to our lockers.”

Adrien opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again uncertainly. He stayed quiet for a moment, until his eyes flitted towards the opening of her purse. “Oh!” he exclaimed, face brightening. He smiled at Marinette, brightly, and she felt herself falter a bit. “Are those from my parents’ bakery?”

”Yes,” she answered carefully. “I asked Chloe to get me a couple of eclairs… we both think they’re great.”

”Hmph, you didn’t hear that from me.”

Marinette wanted out. Maintaining her smile, no doubt a shadow in comparison to Adrien's smile, she turned fully. ”We’ll see you in class.” Marinette waved at the trio, allowing Chloe to finally lead her away. Once her back was turned, her smile dropped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this before my examinations, which will last about 2 weeks. Afterwards I'm gonna be quite busy with con stuff, just a heads up. I have been working on TT a lot, heck, I think I've already sort of shaped out the ending!
> 
> I tried to make the interactions between the five main kiddos tense and awkward. Did it work?


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /sweats

“I have a feeling she didn’t accept my apology,” mumbled Adrien, poking at his sandwich. Salmon, delicious, but it was looking more and more unappetizing the more he mushed the bread around it. The blond adjusted himself on the ground in front of a bench where his two friends sat, eating their own packed lunches. Alya, gulping down a mouthful of penne, gestured lightly with her fork.

“Not gonna lie, it wasn’t the most articulate apology,” she said.

“I was nervous,” Adrien sulked a little, lowering his hands and resting his sandwich back on his folded legs. “I felt really bad, being such a grouch to her after I had practically worshipped her. I feel like I put her through a whirlwind of my emotions. Should I apologize again to be sure?”

“Kind of awkward if you do? I mean, the first time was sorta, kinda, er,” Nino’s lips thinned as he thought. “Tense?”

“Maybe it was Chloe,” Adrien sunk further into himself, still sulking.

“Yeah, I don’t think it was her fault this time,” laughed Alya.

“Huh, isn’t that a thought,” mused Nino, packing his already finished lunch box back into his bag and pulling out a juice box. Adrien sighed, shoving the sandwich bag back into his own bag. He wasn’t hungry anymore; he hasn’t stopped thinking about his encounter with Marinette that morning. He thought back to their first couple of meetings. Marinette had smiled at him, laughed with him; she was so open and now… now, because of him, she had become so guarded. He feels like he had majorly wronged her… He wanted to make things right.

“I want to be her friend,” he suddenly declared.

“Is that your pride talking?” Nino asked good-naturedly, though Adrien had to think his question over just to confirm things with himself. Did he only want to befriend her to prove he wasn’t that bad? Was it really his ego talking?

“No…” said Adrien, after a minute. “It’s more like… I don’t want things to remain like this. When I met her, she seemed really cool, and I think we could all be really good friends.”

“Even if she’s friends with Chloe?” Alya challenged. Count on Alya to think of all contradictions.

“Even then,” nodded Adrien. “And I confess that I’m still kind of star struck around her, but… I want to get to know her first, before I start crushing over her again.”

“My son’s turning into a man,” Nino fake-cried, to which Adrien got up and tried to elbow him. “Ouch, watch it,” he laughed, trying to get Adrien off. “You still have to get her to forgive you, dude.”

“I know,” Adrien stopped trying to jab at the tanned boy, getting off and picking up his bag.

“Don’t force it, and don’t rush. If you’re meant to be friends, then you’ll be friends sooner or later.” Alya packed up her things as well, pushing herself off the bench and standing next to Adrien. “And if you’re meant to be more than friends, well…” she gave him a wide grin, brows waggling.

“Pshaw, my dude don’t need no girl,” Nino interjected, getting up and throwing an arm around the blond, whose cheeks had begun to color. “He’s got me.”

“Right,” Adrien chuckled as they begun to walk back to class.

“Poor kid,” Alya snickered.

In the corner of Adrien’s peripheral, he saw Marinette checking her phone as Chloe talked beside her. He looked at her for a moment, but tore his gaze away. _I’ll make things right,_ he thought. _I’ll be a proper friend._

 

 

“You okay?”

Marinette blinked, eyes widening as she turned to look at her blonde friend. “What?” she asked dumbly. Chloe rolled her eyes.

“I asked you if you’re okay, Marinette, and judging by your reaction, you aren’t.”

“What, no? I’m fine,” defended Marinette, “what makes you think I’m not okay?”

“You were spacing out.” Chloe paused. “More so than usual, I mean. You haven’t touched your salad. Is something bothering you?”

Marinette smiled a little, shaking her head. Chloe must be really worried, otherwise she wouldn’t have said anything. Maybe it was because of their sleepover last night, and their emotions from their short sort-of fight were still fresh, but Chloe’s concern warmed her heart. Frankly, she was still thinking about a certain green-eyed blond classmate. It was rattling, how he got to her… “I’m just… not that hungry,” she said, and even she knew it was a feeble excuse. Chloe’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re perpetually always hungry. You’re a model.”

“That’s not true.”

Chloe squinted.

“Okay,” Marinette conceded, bringing her lunch container up closer to her face and sticking some lettuce leaves with her fork. “That’s true.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about Dupain.”

“Okay, I won’t tell you I’m still thinking about him.”

“Are you snarking me, Agreste?”

Marinette giggled, but Chloe only bristled further.

“Fine! If that’s what I get for trying, then you can keep your feelings to yourself.” Chloe put her food down and crossed her arms, turning her nose up. After a beat, though, she turned to Marinette again, arms still crossed. “Are you seriously still thinking about that twat?”

Marinette chewed on her salad slowly, gathering her thoughts. It was hard to explain, and it was hard to put her feelings into words. She was still upset, despite Adrien’s apology… his kind-of half-baked apology, that is. And she was also still confused, meeting a sweet boy and then experiencing viciousness from him in the subsequent days. Marinette explained her thoughts to Chloe, who listened wordlessly, to Marinette’s surprise. “...I just… I guess I’m still hoping to be friends with him, but it’s just… I don’t know. Awkward after all that. I’m unsure around them, even though they all seem nice. Alya, especially.”

Chloe scoffed at that, but refrained from saying anything impolite. “Well, you know what I feel about them, but I’m not gonna tell you how to live your life,” Chloe said. “And frankly, I think you’re giving them a bit too much credit, Cheri.”

Marinette finished another bite of her salad. “But,” she said after she swallowed, “maybe we just aren’t communicating clearly. He apologized…”

“That was barely an apology.”

Marinette winced. She agreed. “But he did acknowledge that he misunderstood…”

“Were you satisfied with that?”

Marinette winced again. “No?” She released a long sigh, running her fingers through her wavy tresses and accidentally removing the bow around her head. “Do you think I’m expecting too much?” she asked, suddenly too lazy to care of her usually perfectly styled hair and placing the ribbon into her purse. Before she could zip her bag shut, her phone lit up, rousing Tikki from her rest inside. Mouthing an apology to her kwami, Marinette took out her phone and zipped the purse quietly.

“Pff, no, that’s not even much at all,” Chloe asserted. “Listen, I don’t like the guy nor his little band of bozos, but if you’re really bothered by this, I still think you should wait until he gets it through to his empty head that that apology was a flop.”

Momentarily forgetting her phone notification, Marinette smiled at Chloe. She was glad she had her to talk to about this. “You think things will work out?”

The blonde shrugged indifferently, a small pout on her lips. She adjusted her jacket-- the jacket Marinette had sewed just last night-- and changed the topic. “Don’t you have a shoot this afternoon?”

“Yeah,” Marinette replied, knowing Chloe avoided replying properly because she was still unpleased with the idea of being mutual friends with Adrien… if it ever came to that, that is. “I’ll have to miss our last class because Monsieur Gerard has to drive out to the location, and it’s not that close.”

“Lucky.”

“Take notes for me?”

“No promises.”

She knew Chloe would take note of anything important anyway, so Marinette didn’t argue. Instead, she began to check through her phone notifications as lunch period was about to end. Chloe began to talk about other things, and while Marinette listened, she also browsed through her emails and messages. Most of which were from Natalie, forwarding her copies of messages from photographers and employers and the like. Before she could put her phone away, a final message caught her attention. It was a text from an unknown number. She opened it, eyes falling on a single word. **Hell,** it said, and her brows furrowed. Before thinking about it, she had sent a reply.

 **Did you mean Hello?** her reply read. Marinette’s eyes widened a fraction as three bouncing dots appeared.

 **Yes, that’s what I meant,** it said. At this point, Marinette’s pulse quickened. Biting her lip a little and responding to Chloe as to show the blonde she was still listening, Marinette typed down another message.

**Are you Adrien?**

**No, sorry.** Marinette deflated a little, not replying. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions … Adrien couldn’t have given her number away, right? As if noticing the delay in her reply, the person messaged again. **Are you disappointed?**

With a mental shrug, Marinette just went with it. She typed down a reply, hit send, and put her phone in her pocket. Somewhere, her reply popped up on someone’s screen, making the reader smile at the words. **No, this is Patrick.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'll work on this again  
> Can't leave my children hanging


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of mystery friend and a lil talk from Tikki to her newest little Bug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you guys are hungry for some sunshine child. I am too, but I’m struggling to actually get the ball rolling in a cohesive manner. Things are moving along in my mind, but I’m having a bit of a hard time translating it into word. I’m gonna keep writing though; I’m going to try to ride over this writer’s block.
> 
> Anyways, Tikki promised Marinette she’d tell her about Plagg, so. . .

The day had ended without a hitch. Marinette sat in her family vehicle, staring out of the tinted window yet seeing nothing. She was back in her warm, rouge pea jacket and her comfy, navy blue wool stockings-- the outfit she wore to school that morning-- but her hair was done up in a huge, teased updo with twigs in it and her face was painted with intense reds and oranges. The young lady rested her head against the window, briefly reminiscing of her time in the crunchy piles of leaves by a forest edge. The shoot lasted all afternoon and stretched into the early evening, and she was well spent and ready to hit the sack… Hah, as if. She had to wash off all the gunk on her, as well as fix the stylish mess her hair was styled into. She also had to catch up on the lessons she missed that day and do the corresponding assignments. Marinette stifled a yawn as she stared unseeingly out the window, vaguely aware of the lights and the people she was passing. _I’ll hop into the shower as soon as we arrive home. That’ll wake me up._ Her trail of thought paused. She didn’t want to have to stay up waiting for her hair to dry. _I’ll sleep with my rollers on._

Beneath her field of vision, a light turned on, assaulting her eyes briefly. Squinting slightly, Marinette looked down at her phone, nestled stop her near-open palm, and unlocked it. She had another message from her mysterious new friend, who she had named in her contacts as “Not Adrien.” **That’s alright, don’t worry. I hope you have a good evening,** it read. She had informed them previous to her photoshoot that she would be busy, and when the shoot ended, she sent them another message saying that she would be busy throughout the night as well. She had spent her school day sending the mystery person texts-- random ones, consisting mostly of internet jokes. She didn’t even know their name, or how old they were, or whether it was a guy or a girl, but it was still fun. She never texted anyone other than Chloe and… well, Natalie and Monsieur Gerard. Marinette was not going to send a reply, but decided she would text back. 

**What’s your name?** Not minutes after she pressed send, the three bouncing dots appeared, indicating that Not Adrien was texting back. 

**What’s yours?** Marinette raised a brow unconsciously after reading the message. Cautious, are we? Well, she couldn’t exactly identify herself either, not when she could easily be identified and her personal number spread. Granted, she could get a new number promptly if that situation ever did occur, but she really couldn’t be bothered. 

**You can call me Marin,** she typed. 

**”Oh, so your name isn’t Patrick…** Marinette actually snorted. She wasn’t sure if Not Adrien was being sarcastic or not. The person at the other end wasn’t done typing, and seconds later, another message popped up. **Jk, I know that meme. You can call me…**

There was a long pause. Marinette waited. Obviously the person at the other end was thinking of some kind of nickname, so Marinette decided to message before they could. **I have you down as “Not Adrien.” That works, doesn’t it? Lol**

The reply was instantaneous. **Um, no?** They were still typing. **That’s a bit long, isn’t it? Not is okay, haha.**

Marinette stifled a giggle, not wanting to get Natalie curious. She pressed back and edited the contact information, changing Not Adrien to just Not. **Done,** she texted, **I changed your name on my phone!**

**Alright, my turn.**

**Huh?**

**To ask a question, I mean.**

Oh. Marinette sent an okay. She supposed that was fair, since she was the reason they exchanged identifiers… Wait, didn’t she answer her own question first though? Her phone lit up in her hand again, vibrating slightly as a neon green notification box popped up on her screen. 

**Girl or boy?** Marinette was wondering too, so she quickly sent a reply. 

**Girl.**

**Oh. I had assumed you were a guy,** read the text. The half-Asian supposed the name she gave was a bit ambiguous. 

**And I had assumed you were a girl. Was I wrong?**

**Yes, I’m a guy.**

”Marinette, we’ve arrived.” Marinette yelped loudly, startling so hard she bounced slightly off of her seat. She whipped her head towards the direction of the voice and found a blank-faced Natalie eyeing her almost suspiciously. The older woman had one leg outside of the vehicle already, in the middle of exiting the car. Monsieur Gerard stood outside, holding the door open for Natalie, though he was also eyeing Marinette. Sheepishly, Marinette grabbed her school bag, stuffed her phone in her jacket pocket, and bid them thanks and good night. She rushed out of the car and into the house, stomach growling as she caught a whiff of supper as she whizzed past the kitchens. 

”That day felt longer than usual, didn’t it, Tikki?” She shut her bedroom door behind her, dropping her school bag by her bed and unbuttoning her jacket, making sure she removed her phone and placed it safely on her bedside table. After sending Not a quick text informing him she has to go, Marinette put the phone down and went to hang the garment on her closet. Marinette then walked towards her bathroom, intending to wipe the makeup off of her face before she headed down for dinner. 

”Yes, but I was okay all day thanks to you!” Tikki fluttered out of her school bag and landed on her bed. “Thank you for sneaking those biscuits into your bag from the photoshoot for me.” 

”I couldn’t let you starve, Tikki,” smiled Marinette in between rubs, layers of makeup transferring from her face to the makeup removing wipes. By the end of it, the once-white disposable cloths were covered in beiges, browns, oranges, and reds. “I have to go down for a bit of dinner. I’ll bring you some, too… think you can wait a little bit more?” 

The Kwami nodded, toppling over from a sitting position to lying down. Tikki made herself comfortable on Marinette’s soft blankets. “No worries, Marinette!” the god replied. “Make sure to eat a lot, okay?” 

Marinette stroked Tikki’s head fondly with a finger. “Thanks, I will, Tikki.” 

After dinner, Marinette had brought up some food to her room. “I’ll be up all night with school work,” she had told Natalie, who had inquired about the full plate she had been carrying up the steps. The older woman had peered at her as if she was about to object, but let it go, nodding and bidding Marinette good night after suggesting that she try and get at least 7 hours of sleep that night. Marinette almost scoffed. 

After delivering the small meal to Tikki, Marinette locked herself in the bathroom, trying to brush out her teased locks. After the bird’s nest was dealt with, the model hopped into the shower to quickly scrub herself clean. She had been rolling around on the forest floor earlier that day, after all. Her mind wandered and flew through her very, very long day, from the tense morning with Adrien, to her mystery texting friend, to her tiring photoshoot, all the way to supper (and how her father was absent from the table yet again…). Quickly throwing on a loose shirt and a pair of comfy, green, black-cat themed cotton shorts, Marinette walked out of her steaming bathroom with a damp towel over her head. She spotted Tikki immediately, lying contentedly on her bed beside a clean plate. 

”Are you awake, Tikki?” She asked softly. Marinette made her way to a small vanity at one end of her room, taking a box of hair rollers and beginning to roll her still-wet hair. 

”Mmm,” hummed the god of fortune from behind her. “I was just wondering if Plagg is being well taken care of, just as I am.” Marinette’s ears perked at Tikki’s statement. _Plagg, again. Didn’t she mention that that was Chat Noir’s kwami’s name?_ She felt her heartbeat quicken at the mere thought of the feline superhero. Tikki continued, unaware that her charge had become a bit distracted. “I’m sure he is. Chat seems like the doting type.” 

”The doting type? Chat Noir?” Her gaze landed upon Tikki’s reflection through the vanity’s mirror. Marinette paused in her actions, only half of her hair being rolled up at that point, and thought about the many times Chat Noir had shown concern over her well-being. Despite being steadfast in keeping their identities hidden, Chat Noir spared no effort in ensuring that she was alright, even if it meant lengthy venting on her part, or even getting her little treats to cheer her up. Her heart swelled at the thought, and a soft smile curved Marinette’s lips. “Yeah, that sounds like him,” she uttered softly. 

Behind her, Tikki smile knowingly, flitting off from her comfortable position on Marinette’s blankets and choosing to fly to the vanity instead. Tikki looked up at Marinette with her wide blue eyes. “Plagg isn’t the doting type at all.” 

Marinette began to roll the rest of her hair up. ”You still have to tell me more about this Plagg, Tikki.” 

”Yes, I did promise. But do you want to hear about him tonight?” 

Marinette side-eyed her notebooks, slightly visible from inside her school bag. With a mental shrug, Marinette gave Tikki a nod. “I’d love to hear about him, Tikki. You always sound so happy whenever you mention him.” Tikki giggled at that, covering her mouth cutely with her little arms. 

”That’s what you sound like whenever you talk about Chat Noir.” 

”I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” 

Tikki gave Marinette a cheeky grin, but Marinette only continued to finish off her rolls, a light pink dusting her cheeks. “You make it so easy, Marinette.” 

”Tikki,” Marinette half-whined. 

”Alright, alright,” the god conceded, leading Marinette to her chaise. When Marinette was settled, sitting with a pillow on her lap and staring expectantly at the Kwami, Tikki also set herself atop the plush backrest. “What would you like to know about Plagg, little Bug?” 

”Does he look like a kwami-version of Chat Noir?” 

”More like Chat Noir is a human version of Plagg,” Tikki corrected. “He’s a black kwami, with bright green eyes.” Marinette tried to picture it. 

”What is he like?” 

”Stubborn, gluttonous, lazy…” Tikki tittered, her little body shaking in her soft laughter. “He’s a grumpy cat.” Marinette watched the red god talk with a smile on her lips. Tikki’s doe-eyes were glittering with love, and her little arms waved around as she spoke. “He has a beautiful heart, Marinette; he just likes to hide it.” 

”Why is that, Tikki?” 

It was as if the light in Tikki dimmed before Marinette’s very eyes as Tikki deflated into herself a little. The little god sighed, her lively gestures gone and replaced with centuries--no, lifetimes-- worth of wear-and-tear. “He has built a wall around his heart, little Bug, because he’s lost so many kittens… as I have lost many Bugs of my own.” Marinette felt her breath leave her body. How could she overlook that fact? She and her partner were not the first Ladybug and Chat Noir… 

”I’m… so sorry, Tikki,” Marinette half-whispered, moving to hold Tikki and nuzzle her. Tikki floated onto Marinette’s palms and gave her charge a hug, returning to her seat afterward. To be with all those different versions of her superheroine self, to love and guide them, only to watch them die one by one… Marinette could not even imagine the sorrow that resided within Tikki’s tiny body. “I promise I’ll always be careful,” she murmured. 

”I know you will be, Marinette,” said Tikki, “it’s usually the cats that tend to be reckless… Plagg has lost so many of his kittens prematurely because of this…” She shook her head. “And also why Plagg is always slumbering.” 

This piqued Marinette’s interest. ”Slumbering? What do you mean?” 

”His ring, it’s always being mishandled, or lost, or kept away since many deem the power of destruction a power not needed,” Tikki explained. “It’s hard enough to find someone who could use the Black Cat Miraculous, that is why I was so glad that we were both awakened this time.” Marinette felt for Tikki, seeing the ladybug kwami smile wistfully into nothing. It must be so difficult, so _heart-wrenchingly painful_ to be apart from the one you love for god knows how long at a time. She couldn’t imagine going back to her life before she met Tikki, a life without freedom, a life without knowing Chat… Her heart clenched in her chest. Her longing for Chat Noir made it hard to breathe already. What Tikki must go through, again and again… Marinette could not fathom it, but she felt for her mentor, her friend. Something Tikki said stuck to her though. 

”What did you mean,” Marinette started, “when you said it’s hard to find someone who could use the Black Cat Miraculous?” 

”Well, unlike the other Miraculous, the Cat and the Ladybug Miraculous are… specific in the users that are even capable of wielding it. Each user has to be chosen.” 

”I was… chosen?” 

”That’s right,” hummed Tikki, “and so was Chat Noir. Though sometimes it doesn’t always work that way. If anyone just happened to put on the Miraculous, our powers would be very, very unstable. Plagg and I have to have a certain affinity to our charges in order for us to work harmoniously.” 

Whoa. That was a lot to take in. A brief introduction to Tikki’s counterpart had suddenly become so much more. Marinette tried to keep up. “What affinity?” 

Tikki smiled briefly, glad that the topic had shifted from something heavy to something a little more… educational. “Well, little Bug,” she began, voice very businesslike, “my users have to have something that drives them. Something that makes them unstoppable. Your perseverance is something that makes you and I click. Your Miraculously cannot be used by just anybody, Marinette, remember that. You are _strong_.” 

Marinette stared at Tikki in awe. She felt a little silly, in her loose pajama shirt and her hair all up in messy rollers, being called strong, but Tikki’s voice held such conviction that Marinette’s self-doubt dissipated for a moment. “Really?” she breathed. 

Tikki nodded. “Yes, but what I’ve noticed is that while my bugs have all been strong, their strength was almost always their weakness.” Those words almost echoed in Marinette’s ears… She must hold that information and ask Tikki about it later, but she did not want to interrupt her. “For Plagg, it’s the opposite. His kittens almost always hold a darkness within them.” Chat Noir popped into Marinette’s mind’s eye briefly, a vision of sunshine to her. He held darkness within him, too? He must, since he is the Black Cat Miraculous wielder. Tikki continued, “Many of Plagg’s cats have had a void within them, a void they seek to fill, a void that makes them less of who they _could_ be. Unlike my bugs, Plagg’s kits use their weakness as their strength… although this void is often what makes Black Cats so reckless. Plagg and I are opposites and that is why we complete each other. And most of the time, if not always, the same can be said for our users.” 

”You mean… You mean, Chat and I…?” 

”Are the closest to what humans call ‘soulmates’.” Tikki confirmed with a twinkle in her eye. Marinette brought her knees up on her chaise and rested her pillow on them, burying her warm face into the soft cushion. It was too much. She had learned so much, and on top of that… She and Chat were supposedly… soulmates? She felt like she could burst. 

”Does that mean… that we’ll end up together?” Marinette inquired into the pillow, positive Tikki could still hear her. 

”Not certainly. Soul mates could become lovers, or best friends. Some never even cross paths,” came Tikki’s reply. 

But there was the possibility, a sliver of a chance, right? Trying to push her emotions aside and not gush about the idea of her and Chat being… _together_ , Marinette thought about everything Tikki had told her about tonight, about all the black cats and all the ladybugs the preceded her. There was so much to think about, so much to ponder on. She definitely couldn’t do any studying, as she and Tikki talked well into the night.


End file.
